


Parallel Hearts

by seasick_shanty



Series: Arrhythmia AU [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Chronic Illness, Hospitalization, Hospitals, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-11-16 05:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11246817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasick_shanty/pseuds/seasick_shanty
Summary: Nico and Will go on vacation to take a break from the hospital and to celebrate the success of Nico's very recent surgery. Things go awry when the boys are far away from home and without the support of their closest friends and family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First written by myself (i-am-too-sick) and emetoprincess on Tumblr. This is the sequel of Heart By Heart, so please read that first if you have not yet done so. Disclaimer: Neither of us are doctors/surgeons so any and all mistakes regarding medicine and medical procedures are purely our own.

Will was practically buzzing with excitement as the plane made touchdown, glancing over at Nico with the biggest grin he might have ever worn.

It’d been two weeks since Nico’s surgery, and Will had picked him up after he got off and headed straight to the airport. He’d discreetly packed his boyfriend’s bag, planned everything, and they were finally touching down hundreds of miles away.

“How are you doing?” Will asked, taking Nico’s hand and squeezing.

Nico looked down at his chest, face expressionless. “Still ticking,” he said with a faint smile. “But I’m still tired.”

He had slept for most of the overseas flight, waking just as the plane’s wheels touched the ground.

“Mmm, jet lag.” Will said, leaning in and stealing a quick, chaste kiss. “There’s a bit of a time difference, it’ll take some getting used to.”

Looking out the window, Nico smiled at the bright sunlight and the palm trees surrounding the airport, the very sight of it giving the whole place a tropical feel.

“You’re the best boyfriend,” Nico said, leaning over to kiss Will’s cheek. “I still don’t know how you managed to set all this up all while looking after me and working.”

When the fasten seatbelt signal went off, Will unbuckled himself and grabbed their carry-on, which contained coloring books, Will’s laptop, and the portable DVD player. They hadn’t used anything- Nico slept through the flight and Will had just held him the whole time, and balancing his boyfriend and his laptop didn’t sound too exciting.

Standing up, he offered Nico his hand with a sunny but tired smile. “I was just working my magic. The real miracle is that I got a week off of work.” He joked, gently pulling Nico to his feet. “Watch your step, love, your legs might be a bit wobbly.”

Nico stood slowly, noticing with a tinge of concern that his legs didn’t feel wobbly, they felt heavy. And achy.

He stretched high over his head, popping his neck and almost catching Will’s cheek with his elbow. He smiled sheepishly and followed Will off the plane.

“So, once we get our bags, are we taking a cab or did you arrange for a limousine too?” Nico teased.

“They were fresh out of limousines.” Will joked, rolling his eyes. “But I do already have a cab ready.” Wrapping an arm around Nico’s shoulders, he pressed a kiss to his head.

“Love you.” Will hummed, before finally strolling his way off of the plane and down into the terminal.

Will was practially on top of the world, exuding an air of excitement as they went to baggage claim. Will watched with only a little concern as Nico went over to sit down some feet away, but he knew how tired his boyfriend must be at this point. This was the longest he’d been out of the house since surgery.

Will was happy to wait for their bags, though, pulling them off of the conveyor belt before wheeling them both over to where Nico sat. “How’re you holding up?”

Nico looked up, reaching for his suitcase and wheeling it over so he could lean on it. He knew Will was eager to get their vacation started—they still had to check into their hotel and map out the rest of their trip with the help of brochures picked up along the way—but Nico was just so tired. He hadn’t thought jet lag would hit him immediately, but a vague sense of malaise had him thinking that maybe this was something else.

“I’m fine. Let’s get this party started,” he said, hoping he sounded convincing, using his suitcase handle to steady himself as he stood.

“The only party we’re going to is bed.” Will laughed. “I had kind of been hoping I could sleep on the plane but I was too busy watching you, I need a nap.” His voice was light and teasing, hoping that Nico wouldn’t argue against it.

“We can go through the brochures when we wake up, and we can have room service for dinner.” Will was tempted to drag Nico’s suitcase for him, but his boyfriend had it in his grips. “Let’s go, the cab should be waiting outside.”

The walk to the exit was short, and sure enough, there was a cab parked at the curb with Will’s last name in the window. Taking Nico’s bag before he could protest, he stole a quick kiss and went to load them into the back.

Nico frowned slightly as Will took his bag, but he didn’t complain. Ever since he had gotten out of his pacemaker surgery, Will had done nothing but dote on Nico hand and foot, making sure he had everything he needed during recovery without Nico having to lift a finger. It had been nice, being looked after, but he also wished Will allowed him a bit more freedom.

He held the door open for Will and slid in beside him. He watched Will quietly, smiling as the blond’s eyes began drooping the minute the cab pulled onto the roadway. Nico dropped his head onto his shoulder, his lips pressing softly against Will’s jaw.

The little kiss along his jaw elicited shivers up and down Will’s arms, and he hummed contently.

“Take a nap now,” Nico suggested. “You’ll feel better once we get to the hotel.”

Chuckling tiredly, Will moved to rest his own head on top of Nico’s. “I love you.” He hummed, “The drive shouldn’t be long.” Will said, yawning softly. “Give me 10 minutes and I’ll be more alive.”

Will wasn’t sure he actually dozed off for the ride, but it did feel nice to close his eyes and rest his head, if only for a few minutes.

A short ride or not, Nico found himself blinking his eyes open as they pulled in front of the hotel. He knew all this sleeping was going to affect him overnight, but at the same time, sleeping meant the heaviness in his limbs was dulled to almost nothing and it was a welcomed feeling.

“Hey, we’re here,” he said groggily, pulling himself up. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.”

Will perked up with relative ease, yawning widely and stretching his arms out in front of himself. Tiredly, he dragged himself from the cab, paying the guy and going to get their things out of the back. Their hotel was a massive, resort looking place, decked out with beautiful plants and the ocean out back. It was still probably too cold to swim, but Will still breathed in the cool, salty air like he did back home.

“Man, I’ve gotta go surfing, I don’t care how cold it is.”

Nico laughed. “That’s the real reason we’re here, isn’t it?” he said lightly.

He took his bag from Will, determined not to burden him any further. This vacation was for both of them after all.

They walked together inside the hotel, Will picking up their keys from the front desk. Glancing around the lobby, Nico saw that Will spared no expense when it came to getting them a place to stay. Nico was instantly reminded of the way he felt after seeing Will’s luxurious apartment for the first time.

In the elevator, Nico was forced to slouch against the glass wall, tipping his head back, his breathing unnaturally heavy after the brief walk from the car. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply, hoping that whatever this was would pass quickly and innocently.

Will watched Nico in the elevator with steadily growing concern, frowning gently as they begun their lift. “You’re pale, Neeks.” He said, his voice showing some of his worry. “Are you sure you’re not feeling off?”

When the elevator doors slid open and Nico didn’t immediately make a move to leave, Will pushed their suitcases out and then nudged Nico forward.

“It’s probably just the plane ride- it can throw off anyone’s equilibrium, but your heart is still mending. Your body just doesn’t know how to react.” He assured gently, guiding him by the shoulders to their suite.

Nico nodded and trudged forward. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had a nagging sense that this was not normal. He felt drained, the same way someone would feel getting over a bad illness. While sleep sounded inviting, it had not slipped his mind that his short nap in the taxi had left him feeling worse than before.

Then again, he was no doctor and if anyone knew a thing about post op heart surgery, it as Will.

“Yeah, I'm—I’m fine,” he said, forcing a smile as they finally made it to their room, watching methodically as Will slipped the key into the slot and opened the door. “I just need some food, and somewhere to sit down. Are you sure that’s all this is?”

Will ushered Nico inside before going back for their bags, dragging them in behind him. “Well, I suppose it depends on how you’re feeling. What’s bothering you?”

Nico asking if Will was sure meant he must have thought something was wrong, and that elicited warning bells and an increase in Will’s heart rate. Doing his best not to get too panicked, he went to the already stocked mini fridge and took out a water bottle, cracking it open before handing it over to Nico. “Drink this, okay? I have some granola bars in my suitcase, let me just-”

Nico immediately felt guilty for bringing it up. He saw the panic flash in Will’s eyes, his shoulders squared and his jaw set. Will had been so excited about being away from work, and all Nico had done was force Will to bring his work with him on vacation.

Seating himself on the couch in their small entryway, Nico grabbed the water and took a small sip. It helped to clear the muddled feeling in his head that he hadn’t noticed until now. A few more sips and he thought he could feel himself beginning to perk up.

“I’m just tired,” he said. “You’re right, it’s probably just the plane ride. I’m already feeling a little better.”

Will looked hesitant, pausing in his shuffling for a granola bar. Taking a slow breath, Will forced a small smile. “Well, at least eat this and lie down, okay?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Can I check your pulse? And your incision, just, to double, ah.” He smiled sheepishly. “I just want to be sure. And if you start feeling worse-” he said, pausing to give him a firm look. “Your health, it’s far more important than any stupid vacation, got it?”

Nico shrugged dismissively, laying down and lifting his shirt, heat rising to his cheeks. No matter the duration of their relationship or the medical implications behind it, Nico would likely never not be embarrassed about lifting up his shirt.

He felt so much better lying on his back, the lightheadedness that came with his heavy breathing and the ache in his limbs faded completely, sighing wearily as Will slipped a pillow under his head.

In the light, Nico’s incision looked slightly pink around the edges. He had noticed it a few days earlier, but figured it was still scarring over. It didn’t hurt unless he touched it or moved in a certain way, but the surgery was so recent—some tenderness was too be expected.

He kept quiet as Will held his wrist, propping himself up slightly to nibble on his granola bar.

“Your incision site looks like it might be just a bit swollen, but most of that is probably just normal irritation.” He mused, “Your pulse is a bit fast, but even.”

Moving in, Will exhaled softly and gave him a quick kiss. “Your color is coming back a little.” He said, looking a bit relieved.

Nico dropped his head back, sighing with relief. “Sorry for worrying you,” he said, closing his eyes. “I freaked out over nothing.”

He squeezed Will’s hand, forcing his eyes open and smiling. He brought their hands to his lips, kissing Will’s knuckles, before linking their fingers and blinking bashfully over the tops of their clasped hands. “I love you. This week’s going to be great.”

Will laughed, his own voice sounding relieved. “I love you more.” Will said, smiling as he leaned in to kiss him again. “Never over nothing, though, it’s important that I know that stuff.”

“Anyways, I think we’re both in need of a nap. You like the couch? I bet the bed is comfier. Plus we can see the ocean from our room.”

“Will,” Nico said, biting back a widening grin, “if we’re going to be sleeping, we’re not going to be looking at the ocean.”

Still, he relented, taking Will’s hand as he offered to pull him up. Standing proved a little difficult because the moment he was upright, a wave of dizziness came over him, and he grabbed Will’s arm to keep himself balanced.

“Sorry, head rush,” he said sheepishly.

“It’s okay, take it slow.” He hummed, kissing the top of his head and helping him steady himself.

Leaving their bags at the door, Will walked Nico into the bedroom and to the bedside. He kicked off his own shoes, followed by his sweatpants. “Lets snuggle, M'cold and tired.” He said, laying down.

Nico sat on the edge of the bed, toeing off his own shoes, and scooting back to lay down on top of the sheets. He was more than willing to oblige Will’s wishes, molding himself to Will’s body. He was a little cold too, and the warmth the blond’s arms provided when wrapped around him was more than enough to keep him comfortable.

“You’re warm,” Nico hummed. “And cozy.” He nuzzled Will’s neck affectionately. “Just let me sleep through whatever this is. Then we can do some sightseeing, okay?”

“Sleep through the jet lag then go have fun.” Will affirmed, kissing his head. He wiggled around until he could get the covers over them, snuggling up close and settling in.

It wasn’t hard to doze off, really, now that his anxiety had faded some. He felt better, relieved, glad to be out of town and with his boyfriend for some quality time together.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nico woke up again it was because he was freezing. He shivered under Will’s embrace, wrapping his own arms around his shoulders in an attempt to keep warm. It didn’t seem to help much, so very slowly, Nico extracted himself from Will, noting how sluggish and exhausted he still felt. Overseas jet lag was the worst, he decided.

He went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face, frowning at the pale, haggard expression that greeted him in the mirror. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and the way his body dragged, he almost believed it.

He grabbed a throw blanket from the end of their bed, wrapping himself up tightly until he stopped trembling. Seating himself in the recliner opposite Will, he grabbed a notepad and started flipping through brochures, wanting to get a little planning done while Will slept.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, his vision wavering some as he tried to copy down the names of nearby restaurants. He curled up in the armchair, resting his head on a decorative pillow. Will would be waking up soon, it would easier to look through this stuff together.

When Will woke up to an empty bed his anxiety spiked. In fact, he found himself stumbling out of bed, falling when he got tangled in the blankets, and then finally jogging into the living area.

He exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when he saw Nico cuddled up in a recliner, brochure in hand.

“Hey, babe,” he said, moving in for a quick kiss. When his lips met feverish skin, though, he drew back with a frown. “You’re burning up-” he said, pressing a hand to his face.

Nico blinked tiredly, surprised that he hadn’t realized Will was there until he felt his lips on his skin. “Oh,” he started, “that explains a lot.”

He leaned into the coolness of Will’s hand, the pen falling slack in his grip. He hadn’t gotten a lot of work done, a weighted fatigue falling heavily on his shoulders, lightheadedness enveloping him at an alarming rate.

“I feel weird, Will,” he breathed. “Like bad weird…”

Anxiety bubbled up in Will’s chest as he gently stroked along Nico’s cheekbone. “You’re really warm, actually..” he mumbled, standing up. “Hang on, let me get my bag…” he murmured.

“What are your symptoms? Anything at all.” He added, grabbing his tiny medical bag from his suitcase. It only contained some medicine, a thermometer, and a couple of baindaids, but it was useful nontheless.

“Nico? Hey, stay with me, babe..” he said, patting his cheek lightly when he noticed his eyes had slipped shut. “What’s hurting you?”

“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Nico murmured.

He had stopped shivering, his body now wrapped in a sticky heat. But he was still cold, so he clutched the blanket to him like a lifeline, the hard grip also seeming to ground him.

He leaned forward and whimpered when Will pulled away, unusually desperate for that closeness. His head felt foggy, his body heavy. If there hadn’t been something wrong with him before, there certainly was now.

“I’m really lightheaded, everything’s blurry.” He paused to catch his breath, the short phrase winding him, his clothes tight and restrictive on his chest. “I can feel my heartbeat.”

Will didn’t say anything about the hospital, if only because he was sure they’d need one. Even back home, Will wasn’t equipped to deal with this alone.

“I’m going to have to take the blanket for a second, okay? Just a minute so I can see your incision. I promise I’ll give it right back.” Gently, he drew the blanket away, finding it sweat dampened, just like Nico’s clothes.

Nico wasn’t quite delirious, but he wasn’t all there either, something that made Will’s hands shake as he ushered Nico out of his shirt. The incision site was puffy and red and angry looking, and Will found himself cursing under his breath.

Nico shuddered under the absence of his protective blanket, but waited patiently while Will examined him. As out of it as he was, even he knew that the dark red impression around his incision could only mean infection.

He winced as Will prodded carefully around the incision. While before it had only produced a dull ache, what he now felt under Will’s fingers was downright painful.

“I’m tired,” he said, recoiling some in favor of trying to curl back up. “Just give me some medicine and let me sleep.”

“We have to go to the hospital.” Will muttered, mostly to himself. “You need IV antibiotic treatment, and the incision site needs to be cleaned, thoroughly, I have to- I can’t do that here, Nico.”

Voice taking on a hint of anxiety, Will was suddenly on his feet, his mind going a million miles. He had Nico’s patient file easily accessible, as well as a route to the nearest hospital- a precaution he was glad he’d taken before they left.

Grabbing a loose fitting sweater, Will helped Nico get into it, finding the bottle of water from earlier and handing it over. “Can you walk? We have to go-”

Nico shook his head, trying to make Will understand while trying to clear the haze that made everything feel like it was moving in slow motion. It was not a pleasant feeling.

“I’m fine, Will,” he said, trying valiantly to keep his teeth from chattering. “It's—I know it looks bad, but I’m tired of being in hospitals. This was supposed to be a vacation—I want to spend it with you, have a good time.”

He tapered off after his impassioned rant, his head swimming again as he felt his heart fluttering in his chest. He knew he sounded petulant, but everything he’d said was the truth. He also knew the slight tremble in his voice wasn’t helping his case any—he felt like crying over anything else.

“Can’t you just monitor me from here, take me in if I get worse?”

“Can you walk?” Will reiterated, grabbing his backpack and stuffing it with what may be useful- his wallet, the folder with all of Nico’s medical history in it, a change of clothes.

Without waiting for a response, Will leaned in to give Nico a long, soft kiss. “I love you. I’m sorry, we have to go.” Gently, he lifted Nico off of the couch and carrying him to the door.

Defeated, Nico allowed himself to be lifted, but the second he was securely in Will’s arms, he squirmed, a sudden, severe swell of nausea flooding his mouth with acrid-tasting saliva.

“Will—” he started, pushing feebly against the blond’s chest. “Put me down, I’m going to—”

He gagged suddenly, his hand flying to his mouth in a vain attempt to stop the flood that was bound to follow.

Will froze, immediately situating Nico so he wasn’t horizontal, settling him back down and grabbing a plastic bag that was close enough, not even bothering to dump out it’s contents.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Will said, quickly pulling Nico’s hair back and resting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, I shouldn’t have moved you so quickly.”

Nico slumped forward over the bag, fighting uselessly against the rising nausea. He shut his eyes as his stomach lurched, swallowing down a rush of bile.

There was an intense pulsing in his head, throbbing in time with his elevated (and all too noticeable) heartbeat. After getting the pacemaker, he wasn’t supposed to be this aware, but the feeling in his chest was all too scarily familiar.

He gagged again as his nausea peaked, spitting stomach acid into the bag. He could taste his breakfast steadily rising in the back of his throat, saliva filling his mouth faster than he could swallow it back down. Wrapping an arm around his stomach, he could easily feel as his abdominal muscles clenched, and he heaved, a rush of partially digested food spilling past his lips in waves, leaving his body before he had a chance to catch his breath.

Will perched himself at the edge of the bed, watching Nico with wide, worried eyes. “Shh, shh.. it’s okay, just breathe, you’re going to be okay..” Will’s frazzled mind went through the process of CPR. While it wasn’t likely that Nico’s heart would stop and stay stopped, but he was pretty much in full panic mode.

At the realization that they didn’t have a car, just the hopes of calling a cab, Will pulled out his cell to call for an ambulance.

By the time Nico was finished purging his insides, he was completely spent. He collapsed onto his back in bed, just trying to stay conscious. His vision had started fading around the edges, giving him that vague impression of impending death, and it scared him enough that he didn’t even want to mention it to Will, just on the off chance that he was right.

Though Will had said he was feverish, and the earlier chills confirmed it, Nico felt a certain heat radiating from his incision site, coupled with a low pulsating pain. His chest hurt, like nothing he had ever felt before, and he clutched the front of his sweatshirt, as though somehow holding it would lessen the pain.

“What is this, Will?” he whispered when Will hung up the phone. Will looked panicked out of his mind, eyes wide and tearful, hands shaky as he hovered over the bed. “What’s happening to me?”

The fact that he was the doctor here, the source of calm for someone who was sick and afraid- it hit Will like a bus, and he was quick to gather Nico in his arms and pull him close.

“Hey, hey..” Will’s voice went gentle, his hand coming up to stroke his hair back, shushing him gently. “It’s going to be alright, you have an infection, the ambulance will be here any minute, and we’ll get to the hospital, and they’ll drug you up real good and you’ll get better.” He promised.

Will was shaking like a leaf, feeling a bit sick himself, but he knew it wasn’t likely that Nico could tell. “It’s going to be alright, love, it’ll be okay. I’m not going to let anything happen, I love you, okay? Just breathe, we’re going to be fine…”

Nico sighed tiredly. He stayed silent in Will’s arms, his breathing ragged, chills still coursing through him as his temperature continued to rise.

He clutched Will’s arm, needing the reassurance that he was really there. The longer Nico felt like this, the more confused he became, unsure of what had previously happened or what he had imagined. He remembered a plane, but the room they were in wasn’t their own and he had a hard time figuring out why.

His eyes drifted lazily out the window, watching the steady rise and fall of the ocean waves. As the water continued to lap at the sand, Nico became aware of the retuned queasy feeling in his stomach. He tore his eyes away and whimpered, just as he was caught off guard by another heave.

Will pressed his lips to Nico’s forehead, holding him close so he could hear his ragged breathing and feel the pulse of his heart. “You’re going to be fine, I’ve got you…”

Will continued to mutter nonsense to Nico, if only to making sure he could hear his voice and know he was close. Nico’s gaze had gotten steadily more unfocused, clearly losing his ability to focus. Will perked up at the sound of sirens outside, though he shifted his gaze back to Nico.

Less concerned about getting puked on than Nico choking or something, he very gently shifted him into a sitting position and cradled him to his chest.

Nico whined when Will moved him, the room continuing to tilt even after Will was holding him steady. There were noises outside on the street level, faint but blaring. Will somehow seemed encouraged by the sounds, gripping Nico tighter and muttering words that he couldn’t even make sense of.

Nico was so out of it that he wasn’t even bothered when Will got up to answer the door—he simply curled up onto his side and shivered, watching Will with only a small amount of awareness.

Suddenly there were paramedics, and despite the way most people felt about hospitals, Will felt a flood of relief. Ambulances meant oxygen and defibrillators and medicines and IV’s- all things that he couldn’t do in a hotel room but that could help Nico immensely. This was safe, much safer, and already they were helping get Nico onto the gurney.

Will took his hand, giving him a forced, reassuring smile. “It’s alright, we’re going to get you everything you need.” He promised, turning to a paramedic to rattle of Nico’s symptoms and a brief history.

Nico opened his eyes and saw with the barest trace of lucidity that he had left that he was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Will was there, squeezing his hand, but looking up and talking to someone in a uniform. The only thing he knew for certain was that he was cold, but every time he tried to curl up, Will and the uniformed person were stretching out his legs and forcing him to lay flat. Eventually someone thought to pull down a blanket from an overhead cabinet, draping it over him and tucking it around his shoulders.

He was vaguely aware of a sense of movement. He was already woozy, but his whole body seemed to be moving, instead of just the room. There was that same blaring noise as before, and he cringed, shying away from it.

The paramedics did their work, asking questions as they needed to and setting up an IV, looping an oxygen mask over his face.

“He’s been vomiting, too, I’m not…” Will’s voice was borderline panicked, glancing back to Nico and stroking the side of his face. “I know, it’s loud, it’ll be okay, the hospital is really close, okay?”

Will was sure Nico couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but he tried to calm him down anyways. “It’s okay, I love you, it’s okay.” He promised gently, meticulously fixing the blankets.

The next time Nico opened his eyes, it was to someone pulling the oxygen mask off his face so he could lean over the side of the gurney and vomit onto the floor. It felt like only a few seconds had passed since they’d loaded him in, but by the time he was finished throwing up again, they were pulling him out of the ambulance, rushing him inside a tall, white building.

Will followed the paramedics inside, slipping into the ICU as they wheeled Nico inside under the excuse that he was his doctor. It was technically true.

All at once, things began to happen. Nico was assaulted by bright lights, his blanket was forcibly ripped away from him, and a team of who had to be doctors swarmed him, lifting his shirt, pressing a stethoscope to his chest, and inserting another IV line.

When someone moved to manually take his blood pressure, the pain of the cuff inflating around his arm pushed him over the edge. After everything he had been through in the last few hours, it finally dawned on him that something serious was happening. He couldn’t help when he started to cry.

Watching Nico twist and turn with the pain and fear clear in his eyes was enough to make Will’s chest constrict, his own eyes stinging with unshed tears. He took the seat next to the bed, taking Nico’s hand and pressing quick kisses to it.

When Nico began to cry, though, that was when Will began to lose it, too. “Hey, Nico, hey-” he murmured, voice wobbly. “I know it’s scary, but it’s okay, I’m here with you, I promise.”

Nico tried to swipe at his eyes, eager to stanch the flow of tears, but someone held his arm fast, hooking something to his IV and speaking to him in what could have been a foreign language for all that he was able to comprehend. His other hand was being held gently, warm breath floating across his skin as someone kissed his hand and whispered nonsensical reassurances.

He turned toward the sound of the voice, catching a glimpse of blond hair and tan, freckled skin. It took every last ounce of strength to squeeze Will’s hand, but the faint, watery smile he received because of it was well worth it.

Nico didn’t know what was being pumped into his IV, but he soon felt himself growing sleepy, his heartbeat noticeably slowing, the aches from his fever dulling significantly. It was only a few seconds longer before he became completely unaware of his surroundings, Will mouthing something that looked very reminiscent of the words ‘I love you.’

It didn’t take long for Nico to go completely dead to the world, and Will couldn’t help the tears as he watched the paramedics bustle around and work. They’d given him a low dose of a sedative, cutting open his shirt to get access to the incision site.

The sight of it made him queasy, squeezing Nico’s hand tight and trying hard not to totally lose it. Why had he thought that this was a good idea? They were thousands of miles away and he couldn’t do a thing.

Will had never seen Nico so sick.

The three things that Nico was completely aware of was that he was cold (though the coolness of the sheets felt nice on his skin), his chest burned, a tight pulsating pain originating from his incision site. He was also aware of Will crying softly beside him.

He didn’t know why, or even where they were, but fat, warm tears falling onto his arm and sad, wet sniffles originating from the mass of curly blond hair beside him was enough to penetrate through his drug and fever-induced haze.

He tried to squeeze Will’s hand, but he was weak, and probably managed a finger twitch at best. He steeled himself to speak, knowing that would take more energy than he even possessed, but Will was _crying_ and he needed to be there for him.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” he said, his voice thready and almost inaudible. “Don’t…cry…”

Blinking away tears, Will startled at the voice. Almost immediately he began trying to regain his composure, sniffling wetly and scrubbing his face.

“O-of course-” Will stuttered, hiding his face as he wiped away his own tears. “It’s g-gonna be- be _fine_ , and you’re going to be fine. I’m fine.” Will added, voice wobbly enough that it was clear he wasn’t.

Now, on top of taking his recovering boyfriend far away despite the risk factors, he was making _him_ worry even more.

“We’re fine,” Nico reiterated, though his brow furrowed in confusion. Were they fine? Crying usually did not symbolize fine, at least not the kind of crying Will was doing. And Nico’s own eyes stung with unshed tears, and he had a hard time remembering where they were, let alone why he could possibly be sad.

He whined as a sharp pain passed through his chest, his half-lidded eyes developing a faraway look, his hand going slack in Will’s grasp. His lips moved as he mumbled something unintelligible, just as his body went completely stiff and his limbs began to jerk uncontrollably.


	3. Chapter 3

Will had seen plenty of seizures in his time as a cardiologist. He was certified in general surgery as well, so he spent plenty of time in the emergency room, too.

Still, none of his experience made this easier to watch. Will felt his stomach lurch, and he was on his feet, crying again. Thank god the paramedics knew what they were doing, because Will was completely useless.

Instead of watching, Will buried his head in his hands and sobbed.

There were several doctors in the room, maybe even too many, but this was a big hospital with specialists to spare. The paramedics left in favor of the doctors—two cardiologists, an internist, several emergency room physicians, even a toxicologist was on standby in case’s Nico’s condition stemmed from poisoning. It didn’t seem likely, considering his very recent surgery, but seeing as Nico’s symptoms had started while they were vacationing, the doctors wanted to be cautious.

Nico was carefully turned onto his side and someone elbowed past Will, injecting an anti-convulsant into his IV line. After a few minutes, Nico’s body began to still, slumping into the doctor’s strong hold. A splash of vomit had managed to dribble from Nico’s lips, covering the side of his face and the sheets.

One of the cardiologists turned their attention to Will, grabbing him by the elbow and ushering him into the hall. While there were still several tests that were needed for confirmation, they began to explain what they suspected.

Will would have put up a fight had he thought he was doing any good staying with Nico. Apparently, all he’d really accomplished was messing things up.

Will couldn’t stop crying, even once he was in the hallway, keeping his head in his hands as he tried not to let himself stumble into a full on panic attack. If there were ever a time, god knows it’d be right now.

Quiet, gasping breaths left it difficult to understand the doctor, though he would probably flip through Nico’s chart a bit later so he could really get a hold on the information. For now, he just nodded, taking in every third word as he cried.

Eventually the doctor left him, a quick pat on the shoulder their parting reassurance. Nico’s examination continued.

At one point, someone with a clipboard came over and sat at Will’s side—they needed his consent to operate on Nico. They said he had an infection from bacteria that had leaked into his incision when it was still healing. He’d likely contracted it days ago, they said, and there was little that could have prevented it if Nico had been cleaning the incision and keeping it dry—even following proper wound care protocol, there was no guarantee Nico wouldn’t have gotten sick as his immune system had been rattled by the initial surgery and there had been no helping that.

While Nico was already being pumped with a heavy dose of antibiotics, but he stood a much better chance of beating the infection if his pacemaker was removed completely. Handing Will the clipboard with a wary smile, they added that Nico was starting to come around if he wanted to go in and see him.

Will signed the paper with shaking hands, passing it over with a very small nod. Now Will just felt sick- worried and frustrated and mad at himself. He’d only just managed to stop crying and now his eyes stung again.

Nico was going to have to go through more surgery, more hospitals, procedures. It’d take time for him to heal- they’d be stuck in this hospital for god knows how long, and Will knew Nico would despise it.

He felt guilty. Responsible.

He shuffled into the hospital room, somewhat relieved to see Nico changed into a hospital gown and cleaned up from the earlier disasters. Still, he looked more frail than Will had ever seen him, and his heart felt like it was in a million pieces.

Nico opened his eyes at the sound of approaching footsteps. He had saline, penicillin, as well as a cocktail of pain medicine running through his veins, but he was glad to be able to see straight again.

His stomach dropped, however, at the look on Will’s face. He had obviously been crying, a lot. Will’s face was splotchy, his eyes red-rimmed and threatening to overflow at the sight of him.

“Hey,” Nico croaked in greeting, closing his eyes as Will came to his bedside.

The fact that Nico appeared more or less coherent was a little shocking, though he guessed it was a good thing. Slowly, he took the chair next to Nico’s bed and grabbed Nico’s hand, squeezing it hard and dropping his head. This left his forehead resting against Nico’s hand, still clutched in his own grip.

“They have to take out the pacemaker.” He whispered, his voice wobbly as the tears began falling again. “You have an infection, there’s n-no other way to-” his voice caught, and he squeezed tighter. “I’m so s-sorry, Nico-”

Nico squeezed back weakly, dizziness keeping him from doing much else. An infection made sense, though the logistics of it were completely alien to him. The heart was Will’s department, his area of expertise, and if thought removing the pacemaker was the only way to clear the infection, then it must have been really bad.

“Shh, hey, come here,” he said, his words tired and slurred. He felt uncharacteristically calm, but he assumed it was the combination of fever and medicine that kept his anxiety at bay. “Don’t be sorry…won’t fix anything. It—We knew it was a risk.”

Will didn’t even bother trying not to cry- he was stupidly overwhelmed, and he couldn’t manage to catch his breath properly.

What Nico meant by ‘come here’ he wasn’t sure. He was probably too sick to share the bed, and Will was sitting right next to him. Still, he scooted closer, letting out a quiet sob as he shifted more toward the bed. “T-this is the d-dumbest thing I’ve _ever_ done.. I c-can’t believe I decided to fly you th-thousands of miles aw-way and-” his voice was thick, tears flowing down his cheeks and onto the sheets of the hospital bed.

“’S not your fault,” Nico said. “Could have happened anywhere.”

He couldn’t move much for all the lines coming off him, though he managed to open his eyes and turn his head to face Will.

His boyfriend was a mess. It was almost endearing to see how much he valued Nico’s health, but also a little worrisome that he was this concerned about his well-being. Maybe Will just felt guilty.

“I love you,” Nico whispered, hoping his eyes conveyed more of the emotion he was too exhausted to carry out. If he could, he would hold Will while he cried, kissing him and offering all the assurance he could. As it was, he could only lay prone in bed, delirious and riddled with an infection that might have slowly been killing him. “You were always telling me to trust the doctors back home, now _you_ need to do the same thing here.”

Will glanced up at him with puffy, bloodshot eyes, his face tearstained. “I love you.” Will breathed, sitting up just a bit. “I’m so sorry.”

Nico fought to prop himself up, managing to rise up on his forearms, though his body shook with the effort of it. “Trust me too, okay?”

Even sniffly and inconsolable, Will lifted a hand and guided Nico back into the pillows, lifting a trembling hand to his hair and stroking in slow, repetitive motions. “I do. I trust you..” he mumbled. “But you need to conserve your strength… they have to operate, soon..”

Will’s entire being still shook, but standing in front of Nico, seeing how weak and frail he was, it at least gave him a purpose. Grabbing the lidded cup of water from the bedside table, he bent the straw and brought it to Nico’s lips. “Here, this’ll help y-your throat…”

Nico leaned back into pillows, chuckling dryly. “Ow, shit,” he whimpered, curling up again. “My whole body hurts.”

He took a sip of the water Will offered, the ice cold drink doing wonders to flush out the stale taste of vomit from his mouth, soothing as it trickled down his parched throat. “What exactly are they going to do?” He figured the more he knew about the procedure, the less he would panic when he was actually wheeled away—not that there was much he could do anyway. “Can’t they just clean the area around the infection?”

“You’re on enough sedatives to knock out a T-rex.” Will joked tiredly, lifting a hand to scrub at his face once more, slowly beginning to feel more alive. “You might not remember any of this next time you wake up…”

Sighing tiredly, his shoulders slumping, Will very gently sat on the edge of the bed. Tasks were important, because instead of focusing on Nico dying or something, he at least had something to talk about instead. “Cleaning around it is far less likely to be successful. The infection is set pretty deep, so the only way to assure it’s completely gone is to take out the pacemaker entirely.”

“Oh…”

Nico’s voice sounded defeated. He had hoped that his previous pacemaker surgery would be his last. Apparently his luck was not so great.

He was far beyond tired now, a fog settling on him much like before. He was just furrowing his brows and mumbling to Will about not being a dinosaur, when a team of people came into the room to whisk him off to surgery.

“I can’t sit in the OR with you, this time…” Will mumbled, stroking Nico’s hair as he mumbled nonsense. “But I think they’re going to let me sit in the surgical gallery. This is a teaching hospital, apparently.” Will said, sniffling quietly as the team bustled about.

“I love you, okay? I love you so much. You’re going to be so out of it that you probably won’t be scared, but I’m gonna watch the entire time, and I’ll be with you the second you leave that OR.”

Nico was only half listening at this point, Will’s words garbled like they were coming from underwater, but Nico didn’t miss the sadness in his voice, the frightened uncertainty. Nico was no stranger to hospitals, but he figured he must be really sick for Will to sound so worried.

Suddenly, Nico felt comfortably warm and lazy, a product of something new being pushed into his veins. “I love you,” Nico mumbled, slowly drifting as they began to him to the operating room.

Will spent the three hours Nico was in surgery in the gallary, watching from too far and chewing at his lip until it was bloody. He felt more sick than anything at this point, briefly remembering that he hadn’t eaten anything since before their plane ride, nor had he really slept much.

Still, as soon as Nico was being safely wheeled into recovery, Will made his way back downstairs, bought a coffee with too much caffeine, and then finally got situated in Nico’s new room, equipped with plenty of machines to accommodate for how ill he was.

The first time Nico woke up, it was brief and painful. There were people in the room, though none of them were Will and he vaguely wondered if the blond had left in search of food—after all, they were planning to have dinner before Nico had started feeling sick.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, however, because with wakefulness, came awareness of pain, and he was in a lot of it. It gripped him so quickly and forcibly that he couldn’t breathe, and there was a monitor somewhere in the room beeping erratically in response to his distress, continuing until a nurse came in and adjusted his pain medicine.

The second time wasn’t even considered full wakefulness. He stirred some, and there was a voice in the room, a gentle squeeze of his hand, but Nico found he was too tired to even open his eyes. He exhaled softly, drifting off almost instantly.

The next time, this time, he woke again to pain, but where before it had been blinding, now it was bearable, his eyes fluttering open as he fought against the lingering effects of anesthesia.

Will wasn’t sure how awake he was when Nico finally began to show signs of actual wakefulness. He’d downed a coffee with four shots of espresso because he hated himself or something, though all it’d actually done was make him shake all over and feel unbearably sick.

Somehow, he mustered up the energy to glance over at Nico, an exhausted smile coming to his face. “Hey, baby..” he muttered.

He shifted in his seat, letting his legs fall as he shifted to lean over the bed rather than back in the chair. “Hey…” he murmured again. “How are you feeling?”

“My chest hurts,” Nico said, his voice barely a whisper. He winced as he shifted in bed, lifting his head slightly so it wasn’t being completely swallowed by his pillow.

He blinked up at Will, eyes bleary as he struggled to keep them open. Will was haggard and pale, hands shaky, eyes red-rimmed as though from crying. He smiled at Nico, but it was clear he was exhausted, his eyes underscored with dark black shadows.

Nico felt a pang of guilt—if he had told Will how he was feeling from the beginning, maybe it would have saved them both from this stressful situation.

Will took Nico’s hand, pressing gentle kisses on his knuckles, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly and softly. “I know, they had to open you up. You’re going to be sore for a while.”

Nico was on heavy antibiotics as well as tons of painkillers and fluids, and the anesthetic would fully wear off soon. With a trembling grip, Will moved to stroke Nico’s hair, closing his eyes for a moment, having to pry them back open. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Like, a lot.” Nico managed a weak smile of his own, if only to brighten Will’s mood a little.

He hummed beneath Will’s gentle touch, leaning into his hand. Will’s hand felt cool on his skin, leaving Nico to wonder if he was still running a fever.

“We still have time,” he started, slowly coming off the fatigue-inducing medicine. “We can still make the most of this vacation.”

Will was so caught off guard by the comment that he actually laughed, though it was just as exhausted. “Nico, you’re- you’re really sick, babe.” He said, voice tight.

“We’re gonna be stuck here a few days, unfortunately. An infection like this..” he muttered, sighing. “I’m so sorry. I should never have taken you here- it was irresponsible of me to- to risk your health, I just thought you’d be alright, you were healing so well-” Will’s voice cracked, and god, he was so tired of crying.

“But I feel—I’m fine now…,” Nico said, his own voice bordering on tears because he knew he didn’t _feel_ fine at all. The infection, the surgery to remove his pacemaker, the knowledge that they were far from home, and most importantly, that he was apparently too sick to properly hold Will, was more than enough to send him spiraling into despair.

And he must have been sick, because he definitely felt it. It was a strange, but powerful feeling of malaise, enough to leave him slightly queasy and wanting greedily to be comforted.

“I just want to spend time with you, without me winding up with some kind of medical crisis.”

Will chewed his lip, exhaling a low, uneven breath. “Hey…” his gaze softened and he moved to sit at the edge of the bed, stroking Nico’s hair back in another motion and moving in to kiss him quickly on the lips. He forced a smile, forcing himself not to get overwhelmed again, because Nico was sick and scared and hurting. “It’s going to be okay.” He promised, giving his hand a squeeze. “We’re okay. You’re okay.”

“They’ll keep you drugged up while you’re here, so the pain won’t be too bad- and the food is supposed to be pretty okay. We’ll watch movies. I brought the DVD player, and I got some coloring books in the gift shop.. are you thirsty? I have some water for you-”

Diverting the attention from himself was easy enough, he’d much rather dote on Nico than let the worry become overwhelming.

Nico closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, but the very mention of food left him swallowing back a wave of nausea. It had been too long since he’d eaten, but either because of the infection or because of all the previous vomiting, the thought of food was completely unappetizing.

He lifted himself up to drink from the straw Will was holding out to him, and he was all too eager to drink half of the ice water provided. He pulled away with a groan, the movement pulling at his new incision, and the sudden swell of water in his stomach making him feel sick.

He dragged a hand down his face, his fingers trailing down sweaty, feverish skin. He truly did feel awful, so a few days worth of bedrest with strong antibiotics being pumped into his veins was probably just what he needed.

“You look exhausted,” Nico noted through the splayed fingers on his cheeks. He grabbed Will’s hand kissed the back of his palm. “I’m always doing this to you.”

Will chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I’ve had like.. four shots of espresso. And I haven’t eaten or slept in at least 24 hours. Maybe more.” Closing his eyes, he exhaled shakily and held Nico’s hand to his face. “You’re worth it.”

“You gotta be careful drinking so fast, though.” He warned. “You’ll make yourself sick. Moving, too, you have fresh stitches, okay?”

“Sorry,” Nico said, shutting his eyes against a surge of dizziness. It seemed that everything in his body that could possibly be hurting him was. “I was really thirsty.”

“It’s not your fault.” Will said, continuing to stroke his hair despite the way it felt like he was dragging his limbs through molasses.

Nico met his eyes after a while, turning his head slowly to avoid exacerbating his vertigo further. “I want you to get some sleep once they move me to ICU,” he said. “I’m on too much medicine to do much else, and you need rest too. It’s not like I’m going to be moving around a lot and getting myself into trouble.”

“I’ll try.” He assured, offering a tired smile. “They should be ready to move you soon. How bad is the pain?”

Nico considered that for a moment. “It’s not too bad, but I can definitely feel _something_. You’re making me sleepy,” he added with a tired smile, bumping his head against Will’s hand.

“They might need to up your painkillers a little more, I’m just worried about it making you sick,” he admitted, casting a somewhat nervous look at the EKG. With a gentle fluff to Nico’s sweat dampened hair, Will stood and went over to the machine, scanning over the readings.

He relished the comfortable silence between them, broken only by the numerous machines keeping track of Nico’s vitals—his temperature and heart rate were up because of the infection, a cuff monitoring his blood pressure periodically. He only just noticed the EKG beside him, feeding out a reading. He didn’t need to be a cardiologist to know his arrhythmia was acting up again.

“Are you feeling anxious?” Will asked, turning and raising an eyebrow. “Any strain on your heart is a no go, right now.” He wobbled a bit on his feet, despite his best efforts. His stomach rolled, and Will found himself really regretting that coffee.

Nico shrugged dismissively. “Not really. Just,” he squirmed, “I don’t know.” Of course he was anxious—as much as he’d been to hospitals, especially recently, he still hated them.

He saw Will sway, saw his face drain of color. “Will?” he asked. He shimmied his way up the pillows until he was sitting upright; by then he was breathless and shaking with pain caused by moving. Maybe it was time for another dose of painkillers. “Are you okay?”

Will blinked slowly, glancing back over and pushing a tired smile. “Hm? Yeah, I’m okay. Headrush.” He said, waving a hand.

Still, Will made his way back to his seat, sitting down with a huff. Taking Nico’s hand and squeezing, he moved to kiss his cheek. “This will all be over soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Nico grumbled. He sighed. “I feel so much better now that I’m sitting up.”

“Better, huh? That’s good, at least.” Will couldn’t hide the yawn that followed, long and exhausted. “They should be moving you to the ICU soon, then we can both get some sleep. They’ll adjust your pain meds once we get there and it’ll probably knock you out for a while, anyways.”

Nico ran a hand through his hair, drenched in sweat as it was, and exhaled softly. “So, what happened? I don’t remember a lot after getting off the plane.”

Will ran a hand through his own messy hair, picking up Nico’s cup of water again. “Drink while I talk, okay? Slow sips.”

“We got to the hotel room, and you said you weren’t feeling well- you had a granola bar and some water though and you were fine. I checked your vitals and your incision, nothing was wrong. Then we went to sleep and I woke up and you had a crazy fever and your incision was all puffy and red and- you pretty much begged me not to take you, but then you were throwing up- I had to call an ambulance. It was traumatic. I’m glad you don’t have to remember it.” His laugh that followed was tired, and a little bitter.

Nico drank as instructed, but swallowed thickly, his stomach churning. After only a few drinks, he pushed the straw away, setting the cup back on the tray.

“I really don’t remember that, any of it,” he said shaking his head. He could see it though—pleading with Will to give him an aspirin for the pain, ibuprofen for the fever, anything to avoid another hospital trip. “Sounds scary.”

Just as he was about to ask Will to help him lie down again, because his shoulders were tense with the effort it took to stay upright and because yes, it was definitely time for more painkillers, a doctor in scrubs and a white lab coat, similar to Will’s look when they first met, came in with a smile and a clipboard.

Will spoke briefly to the doctor when Nico appeared too winded, knowing the medical jargon would go over his head anyways. After a short conversation, Will moved to take Nico’s hand.

Nico was more than willing to let Will do all the talking. He hardly understood a word of what they were saying, and the pain was getting bad again. It was strange, he had thought removing the pacemaker would get rid of the infection and the pain.

“ICU time. They’re just going to wheel you in there, so you’ll feel the movement.” Will stood and grabbed his bag, yawning softly as he moved to stand by Nico’s cot. “They’ll have a nicer bed in there so you can recline it and rest easier. How about you lie down? The moving will probably be disorienting with all the painkillers…”

He nodded at Will’s words, only because he was too exhausted, too breathless to speak. His chest burned, and he hardly noticed when the doctor strapped an oxygen mask over his face.

“Hurts…,” Nico said through clenched teeth, noting the frown on Will and the doctor’s face, wincing and shuddering as Will helped him lay down.

Will helped him lie back, and the doctor murmured something about adjusting his painkillers and giving him something to help him relax. Will just nodded, dragging along beside him, holding his hand as they trekked to the ICU.

Exhausted as he was, Nico looked horrible, the color totally draining from his face, and Will was too worried to care about himself. “It’s okay, babe, we’re almost there, then you can sleep. Just breathe, okay? Someone will get you some painkillers.”

The trip to intensive care was unbearable. While sitting up had been taxing on his failing strength, lying down was torture. He was already nauseous and the movement of his gurney, while he was forced to stare up at ceiling tiles flashing by, that he seriously worried about getting sick on himself.

Thankfully, the trip was short-lived, and Will’s hand in his was a pleasing reassurance. It wasn’t long before he was lying in a new bed (Will practically had to carry him out of his other one), the tickle of oxygen on his lips, and new bags of antibiotics and painkillers hung from his IV pole. He had even been given a trigger to manage the flow of pain medication when he needed it.

If it wasn’t for the bone weary expression on Will’s face, Nico would have let the narcotics lull him to sleep immediately. As it was, Will was his priority.

“You can sleep now,” he said, trying to make his voice sound light, but knowing it was still riddled with pain while he wanted for the medicine to fully kick in. “I’ll be okay.”

Will rolled his eyes tiredly, moving to sit down in the slightly more comfortable chair next to Nico’s bed. “Mm, I wanna make sure you’re able to sleep first. I promise I’ll sleep too, but if you have trouble, I wanna be here.”

Leaning down to kiss his forehead, Will meticulously tucked the covers around him. He was tired, the walk to the ICU having just made him feel ill again. He was pretty sure he needed to eat, but he still felt sick, and the idea of eating wad totally unappealing. His head was spinning a tiny bit, and he drew his legs to his chest and sighed.

“Really, I’ll be okay,” Nico managed, watching dazedly as his breath fogged up the oxygen mask. “I just need a minute for the…for the morphine to…kick in.”

Thankfully, his new bed was a recliner, so he was able to get the best out of both sitting and lying down. It helped a lot and he felt himself beginning to relax. But there was still a strong sense of malaise and uncomfortable feeling of warmth that Nico found it hard to drift off.

He sighed, turning to Will warily and swallowing thickly. “I know you’re tired,” he started, his voice quiet and uncertain, “but I feel really bad, Will. Can you—can you come lay with me?”

Will rolled his eyes as he dropped their bag onto the floor, beginning to toe off his shoes. Surely, _he’ll_ feel a bit better once he’s laying down.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He joked, standing up and very carefully helping Nico shuffle to the side, curling up against his side. “Get comfy, okay? You’ll start to feel better soon, I promise.” Will had to swallow back a mouthful of saliva, his stomach turning nauseatingly. “The narcotics will knock you out-”

Nico hummed appreciatively. He couldn’t curl up comfortably without disrupting his IV lines, but Will was tucked nicely into his side and Nico was willing to compromise. He had been worried about asking Will for such a thing, but with the blond’s teasing attitude, he obviously didn’t mind.

He kissed Will’s cheek and traced his finger along the blond’s jawline, just glad to be able to touch him like this. “Bet you’ll fall asleep before me,” he said with a sleepy smile.

“Before you?” It was a little hard to get the words out. “Please. You’ve got-” Will wrinkled his nose, swallowing the bitterness back. “You’ve got another 5 minutes, maybe.”

Will was beginning to doubt his level of 'fine’, his hands trembling, his body feeling overwhelmingly ill and _wrong_. He had to be dehydrated, exhausted, but he doubted it would get this bad.

Nico chuckled softly. “Maybe you’re right. ’M so tired…” He blinked long and slow, his eyes growing heavier with each passing second. He was well past holding the capacity for any coherent thought about his own wellbeing.

“Thank you, I love you,” he mumbled, finding Will’s hand and lazily lacing their fingers together. With a final shuddering sigh, Nico’s eyes slipped closed and stayed that way, his breathing light and even, the oxygen mask sliding haphazardly off his nose and across his cheek.

Will closed his eyes, exhaling slowly and softly, somewhat relieved when Nico finally fell asleep. God, he felt sick. He fumbled with Nico’s oxygen mask, tightening it on his face to make sure it didn’t slip off, before stumbling out of the bed. Will wondered if he would even make it to the tiny bathroom for a moment.

Still, he managed to get over the sink before he was retching up his espresso drink from earlier and stomach bile. It burned coming up and his eyes were immediately watering, clutching onto the edge of the sink as his body purged itself of it’s contents.

Shakily, he began rinsing the sink out, his legs wobbly as he tried to right himself.


	4. Chapter 4

It was only half an hour after Nico had fallen asleep that they came to draw blood. They roused him, propped him up, taking his arm and fastened a tourniquet. Nico was groggy enough that the needle entering his arm barely fazed him, but eight vials of blood later left him feeling lightheaded and queasy.

It was only after they gave him a couple of prescription strength ibuprofen for his still present, worryingly high fever, that he realized he had had nothing to eat since breakfast, which he had evidently thrown up earlier. He had only had sips of water since.

The space beside Nico was warm and vacant of Will; if the blond had left, then he hadn’t been gone long. Nico could hear the water running in the bathroom and it occurred to him that Will probably still hadn’t slept.

“Will?” he called, his voice hoarse. He coughed, his throat dry. “Are you in there? Are you okay?”

Will jolted up from where he stood at the sink, pretty sure he’d actually been dozing off. “Hm? Y-yeah, babe-” his voice was croaky and weak.

Splashing some water on his face, he turned off the faucet and stretching. He felt wobbly, uneasy, and sick, his vision spotty as he fixed his posture.

“I’m sorry.” Mumbled Will, finally walking back in. “Sorry, had to use the bathroom, are you okay?”

Nico’s eyes had been squeezed shut, the vertigo returning full force after the blood draw. When he heard Will reenter the room, he squinted over at him, shaking his head slowly to the blond’s question, pulling the oxygen mask off and setting it on the bed.

“They took some blood—a lot, and I-I feel really lightheaded.” His stomach lurched and he buried his face in his hands with an agonized groan. “I want to go home.”

Despite how incredibly awful he felt, Nico looked awful, and he quickly stepped over to the bed. “I know, I know.” He murmured, blinking dizziness away from his own vision and gently stroking his hair back. “Hey, you’ll be alright, we can go home soon…” he promised.

Hands trembling, he stroked Nico’s cheek. “Do you feel like you’re going to be sick? You might feel better once you eat a little something, I’m sure I can-” Will’s stomach lurched, and he swallowed back another surge of nausea. “I can get someone to bring us something. Do you think you can handle some water?”

“I’m not hungry,” Nico said miserably. “At all.”

He pressed his head into Will’s chest, dragging his hospital-issued blanket with him as he shivered. Being this close to Will was comforting in its own way, though Nico felt silly asking his boyfriend to climb up and be with him. He was sick, he was scared, but he didn’t want Will to think he was needy too.

“That’s alright. Eventually, you’re going to have to eat something, though.” Will warned, pulling the blankets back and helping Nico get settled into his side so he could at least warm up a little.

The hand patting Nico’s hair felt nice, but Will’s other hand, the one stroking his cheek was unusually cold and sweaty. Nico peered up at him through his mess of unruly hair, fisting Will’s shirt with his fingers.

“You’re so pale…. I’m sorry, I know you just want to sleep.”

Will felt a little bit guilty for not telling Nico the entire truth about how he felt, but how was he supposed to when he was so sick? Anything that would stress Nico out was bad news, now. Carefully, he sat the bed up a bit more, fixing Nico’s pillows so he was propped up well.

“I’m fine, babe.” Will said simply, tucking his sweaty bangs back. “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all? To make you more comfortable.”

Nico smiled a little at that. “You can go to sleep. Really, you’re stressing me out,” he chuckled dryly. “You look about as rough as I feel, and I feel like shit.”

He released his hold on Will’s shirt, splaying his fingers across the blond’s abdomen through the fabric of his T-shirt, slowly running his thumb up and down Will’s stomach.

“They’re worried about my fever, I think,” he said, slumping into Will’s side. “I’ve never felt like this before—I’m so dizzy and tired…” He averted his eyes, focusing instead on listening to the uneven rhythm of his heart rate on the monitor. “And my chest hurts sometimes.”

Will didn’t say anything about sleeping- he didn’t care how exhausted he was, he’d sooner get another cup of coffee and throw it up before he left Nico to deal with this alone.

“Your fever is pretty bad. The antibiotics should kick in within a day or so to help the infection die down at least, but until then.” He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment when his vision began to swim.

“I’m going to call to get you an ice pack- it’ll be a little unpleasant, but. It should help, at least a little.” Yawning, Will pressed the call button for a nurse. “The oxygen mask probably oughta stay on, Nico-”

Nico wrinkled his nose, but let Will slip on his oxygen mask without much complaint, listening tiredly as Will spoke to the nurse. He mirrored Will’s yawn and closed his eyes, letting Will’s arms around his shoulders keep him from falling over.

The nurse returned with an ice pack and a mashed up popsicle in a cup, handing the ice pack to Will and padding to the side to take Nico’s blood pressure. He took the cup and spooned a little into his mouth, letting it melt on his tongue before swallowing. Will had wanted him to eat something, so hopefully this was enough.

Before the nurse left the room, they wrote out a note on the whiteboard by the door, the reading of Nico’s latest blood pressure reading. The reading was low, lower even than it was when he’d initially arrived—it certainly explained the faint feeling.

Will was somewhat relieved to see Nico eating the popsicle without complaint, sighing softly and folding the ice pack in half, lying it on the back of Nico’s neck, before he could complain.

“I’m going to have to stock up on popsicles so you can cool off and eat something.” He chuckled, adjusting the ice pack. His neck would be a good place to help him cool off overall, so they wouldn’t have to resort to any other unpleasant methods.

Nico gasped, jolting so hard that he almost dumped his popsicle into their laps. “C-Cold!” he exclaimed, shifting into Will’s side, teeth chattering. He squirmed, trying to relieve himself of the ice pack, but Will held it firmly in place.

“Your blood sugar is really low. You really do need more popsicles.” He joked, rubbing his eyes. He briefly entertained the idea that he should have asked the nurse to pick him up a coffee or something.

“Popsicles a-aren’t f-f-food, I’m j-just drinking it,” Nico said, shivering harder than ever.

“If your fever gets much worse, they’ll put you in an ice bath. I promise this is favorable, really.” Will said, turning the ice pack over when it warmed up a bit.

He finished most of the popsicle without any issues, though he whined endlessly about the ice pack. He felt a little livelier after having something light in his stomach, his queasiness having abated to a much more manageable level.

Will was incredibly pleased that Nico ate his entire popsicle, smiling a bit when he noticed his color get the slightest bit better.

“You should get something to eat,” Nico said, forcing himself to pull away so he could look his boyfriend in the eyes. “Stretch your legs at least. I’ll be fine for twenty minutes.”

With a sigh, Will nodded. “Yeah. I think another popsicle would do you good, too, you’re already looking a tiny bit better.” He said, moving to stand.

Black spots danced in his vision almost immediately, and he wavered so badly that he had to grab onto something. Taking one step, his legs shook, and he rather suddenly sunk to the ground, his chest turning over uneasily.


	5. Chapter 5

Nico's breath caught as he watched Will fall. He sat up too quickly, a wave of lightheadedness almost knocking him back down again.

"Will!" he called, over the top of the bed railing, gripping it so hard that his hands hurt.

When Will made no move to pull himself from the floor, Nico panicked, tears springing to his eyes. He dragged his legs over the edge of the bed, hopping down gracelessly. It was a bad move, as a jolt of chest pain strong enough to temporarily make his vision turn completely white, knocked him off his feet.

At least now he could crawl his way over to Will, cradling the blond's head on his knee, stroking his head as he futilely tried to figure out what to do.

Will tried to respond when Nico called his name, really, but the dizziness was so overwhelming that he couldn't manage more than a small groan. It was a miracle he hadn't completely blacked out.

He was vaguely aware of all of Nico's monitors going off the charts at once, blinking the haziness out of his eyes as he felt a too warm hand take his head, pulling him closer with a weak grip.

A nurse came in with all of the alerts, looking shocked to find both of the boys on the floor, Will looking just about dead to the world and Nico with fat tears rolling down his cheek and onto his hospital gown.

The nurse grabbed Nico firmly by the shoulders, pulling him off the floor and away from Will. Nico struggled, trying to explain through his blubbering that Will needed someone to help him, but he was too weak to hold his own and just ended up crying harder because that's all he had left.

Another team of nurses came and lifted Will off the floor, lowering him gently onto the small couch on the other end of the room. Nico wanted to scream, frustrated at his own uselessness, but in his haste to get out of bed, he had flung his oxygen mask off, and now he was breathless, his chest feeling like he was being stabbed.

Nico's monitors were deafening, responding to the IV he had unknowingly ripped from his hand to his overall poor state of being. As his nurse began shutting off the monitors and reprogramming them, Nico saw through the tears and the haze and the pain that the other nurses had tucked some pillows under Will's feet and he seemed to be coming around. Nico was so relieved he wanted to throw up.

Will blinked dazedly, confused to find himself staring at the ceiling, one of the nurses faces swimming in his line of vision. He felt sick, too dizzy, but when he was assaulted with a flurry of questions, all he could manage was 'I'm fine,' over and over.

"Where's Nico?" He finally asked, breathlessly, his eyes darting around the room. Another nurse was reattaching Nico's IV line, talking to him gently as she tried to be reassuring. She spoke in a gentle voice, chiding him for getting out of bed while he was so sick and fixing his pillows and Ice pack.

At the sound of Will saying his name, Nico sat bolt upright, ignoring the nurse who was currently inserting a new line to his other hand, the place where he'd torn out his previous IV, bruised and bleeding.

She held him down gently, but firmly, threatening to restrain him if he so much as thought about trying something like that again. Knowing that he was being forcibly kept away from Will when the blond needed help, Nico's only response was doubling over on himself, great hiccuping sobs wracking his body as his nurse rubbed his back and wrapped a bandage around his still bleeding hand.

"Nico?" Will sat up, despite the nurse telling him to lie still, his face falling. "I'm so sorry, are you okay? I didn't mean-" he blinked slowly, his vision darkening. "Woah, um." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Please don't cry. I'm okay, I'm fine- are... are you okay?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

The nurse forced him to sit back, against the couch. "I'm okay, Neeks, please don't cry. I'm gonna come back to the bed in a sec, okay? I promise. Please just listen to the nurse, okay?"

It seemed that Nico's crying intensified every time Will spoke. He was not usually so emotional, but he had had a long day, most of it extremely unpleasant. Will fainting had sent him over the edge.

What finally got him to sit back and start calming down was the fact that each gasping breath left his lungs burning and his head throbbing. His nurse helped him lean back into the pillows, situating the oxygen mask back upon his face, slipping the ice pack back behind his neck. Nico took a few minutes to close his eyes and breathe deeply, only half listening as his nurse continued to scold him, before the whole crew left, promising to return with new, sterile lines for Nico's antibiotics and pain medicine and another ice pack for Will's head.

"Will..." he choked out, his voice watery. He didn't know what else to say. Will had fainted because he'd stood up and having him do it again, so quickly after his first episode, was asking for trouble. But Nico wanted to hold Will, to make sure he was really okay.

"I love you," he said, pathetically close to losing it again. "I love you, Will, I'm sorry."

Will was sitting up, now, nursing a cup of juice and a package of cookies. He still felt sick- his ears were ringing and his head was beginning to ache, but the juice was helping immensely. He was so exhausted he could barley hold himself up, but with a questioning glance up at the nurse, he gingerly rose from the couch and made his way over to the bed. "Hey, babe..." he muttered. "It's okay, I'm okay. Can I join you?"

Settling into the bed at Nico's side, he pressed a kiss to his temple, worried about the fever. "That was some stunt you pulled. I can't believe you ripped out your IV line... are you okay? You have to calm down, alright..?"

The second Will was positioned on the bed, Nico flung his arms around him and sobbed. For a long time he just held Will, wanting to know that he was there, he was solid, and he wasn't leaving him. Once that was established, Nico attempted to apologize for everything he could, especially things that were out of his control.

He apologized for landing himself in the hospital, for having an arrhythmia, for not realizing that something was seriously wrong with Will, for being the one to suggest he get up and take a walk. It was a long, exhausting process, finishing only after he complained about having to rely on the mask on his face and berated the infection and the fever for completely and utterly wrecking his emotions.

He lied with his head in Will's lap until he could pull himself together. By that time, he was hooked up to new meds, his ice pack now completely warm and unusable.

"My hand hurts," he said when he could finally trust himself to keep his voice steady, indicating the hand with the bandage on it. "And my chest feels tight."

They brought Will an ice pack for his head, but he was quick to pass it off to Nico, gently laying it on his neck. "You don't need to apologize..." he murmured gently, stroking his hair. His hands weren't shaking as badly, now, and he quickly shoved one of the tiny cookies in his mouth and chewed deliberately.

"I'm okay. I was being stupid. I shouldn't have kept going when I knew I didn't feel right. I'm so sorry that I scared you." He apologized, kissing his hand lightly. "You, though, you need to be more careful. You can't go throwing yourself to the floor and ripping out IV's."

He adjusted the mask, grabbing the pain button and clicking it once or twice. "Your fever is nasty, but the nurse said she was going to bring something to help you wind down and relax, okay?"

Nico sighed and said nothing. He had heard this before, but he would rip out sixty IVs if it meant getting to Will and making sure he was all right.

His nerves were frayed—as exhausted and sluggish from the fever as he was, adrenaline was still coursing through him, his heart beating quickly and deafeningly. He curled his hands around the bedsheets just to give him something to do. It made his injured hand throb, and he watched with strange fascination as the red spot on his gauze slowly seemed to grow.

"I hate this place," he said bitterly, frustrated tears springing to his eyes once more. As much as he wanted to leave, he knew they were stuck here until he started feeling better, and he didn't need a doctor to tell him that that time was still a long ways away.

"I don't feel good," he lamented, speaking mostly to himself. "I want to go home, I want to sleep in my own bed." His breath began hitching and he bit his lip to keep himself from crying outright, only small, heartbroken whimpers slipping past his defenses.

Will's heart was pretty much shattered by now. Nico was miserable and sick and sad, and Will couldn't do anything about it. Now he'd gone and fainted or something and he was sure that had just made everything worse.

The nurse came in with another cocktail of medications, one that Will recognized as a mild sedative. Nico needed to rest to get better, and with the stunt he just pulled, he wasn't at all surprised.

"Mm, I know, love, I know." Will muttered, stroking his hair and swiping away tears as they fell. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, I never should have..."

Nico took the pills from the nurse, setting them on the tray when she'd turned around, intent on putting them off as long as he could. He was handed another popsicle, which he also neglected.

"Don't be sorry," Nico said softly. "No more sorrys."

Sighing tiredly, Will ruffled his hair. "One more, okay? I'm really, really sorry." He kissed his head, closing his eyes. "If you take your medicine, I'll go to sleep." He bargained.

Dejectedly, Nico scrubbed his eyes, taking Will's hand that wasn't comforting him, and pressed his lips to the blond's knuckles.

"You need the medicine, Neeks..." mumbled Will, picking up the little cup of pills and shaking it lightly. "And you need to eat your popsicle, I _promise_ it'll make you feel better, at least a little, okay? I'm eating too, see? You can have one of my cookies. Or juice. Okay? The faster you listen to the doctor, the quicker you'll get better, okay?"

Nico shook his head, his hand going to his mouth. "Nothing solid. I—I can't, not yet," he murmured, the very idea of chewing anything making him want to hurl.

"That's okay. You're doing fine. The popsicle will be good for your fever and your stomach." Will said, stroking his hair. "You'll be okay," he promised.

The bargain worked though—Nico picked himself up slowly, pouring the pills in his hand and swallowed them down with a drink from Will's juice. It was too sweet, but at least the sugar would be good for him.

He grabbed his popsicle, settling for stirring it around with his spoon. He stared at Will's face, frowning. "You look so tired." Running his thumb along the deep shadows beneath Will's eyes, he said, "Promise me you'll tell me next time you're feeling bad, really bad. You scared me today."

Will was content when Nico took the medicine, wrapping his arms around Nico and kissing his head. "I'm sorry that I scared you." He murmured, giving him a gentle squeeze. "I promise it won't happen again." He assured, patting his arm.

"Those pills will help you sleep, and I can sleep too, and we'll wake up and we'll both feel better." He mumbled, yawning widely.

"Lay down," Nico suggested, though he made no move to pull away from Will.

He knew his sedative would take a little longer to kick in since it hadn't been given directly through his veins, but if he could make Will comfortable in the meantime, then sleep would come easier once he needed it. Right now, he was still too jittery to do anything but sit up and force down mouthfuls of popsicle.

"I'll be fine if you're here with me, just—don't push yourself for me. You've barely slept and it's not fair for you to shoulder all this by yourself."

Will shifted so he was lying down a bit more, curling on his side and wrapping an arm around Nico, kissing the corner of his mouth. "I'll be more careful." Will promised, yawning fiercely.

Yawning softly, Will was finding it more difficult not to doze off, his eyes growing heavy. "You'll be okay if I fall asleep? Are you sure?"

Nico smiled weakly, bending over to kiss Will's cheek. "I'm sure. Go to sleep."

He knew it wouldn't take long for Will to succumb to his exhaustion, and maybe it was unfair that he helped it along by running his fingers through Will's hair, dragging them slowly across his scalp, but he knew he would feel better when he was sure that Will was no longer in danger of hurting himself.

"I love you," he murmured. He pulled the oxygen mask completely off and began nibbling at his popsicle.

"Love you too..." Will began to doze off almost instantly, snoring softly, curled up next to his side.

He really was exhausted, looking small and tired curled up in Nico's hospital bed. One of the nurses had wanted to admit him, or to at least get him an IV, but he'd try to eat when he woke up.

Nico started some, having thought that Will was already asleep. He continued carding his fingers through Will's hair until he heard the blond's breathing even out, signaling true sleep.

He put his cup of popsicle aside, having not even eaten half of it. Will would probably be upset with him when he woke up. He let his shoulders fall, realizing that the strain of pretending to be fine was really draining him.

He moved so he was lying down, cushioning his head on a pillow with a heavy sigh. His vision was beginning to swim, tiredness and medication finally weighing him down as he closed his eyes and tried to get comfortable.

Tomorrow was another day. Maybe by then he would feel better, marginally at the very least, and would soon be on a plane ride back home.


	6. Chapter 6

Will woke up just a few hours later, getting enough sleep to keep him going. He was too nervous to sleep much more- he wanted to make sure Nico was alright.

Nico had dozed off without his oxygen mask, Will gently fixing the mask on his face. He looked pale and haggard, worn and beaten down. With some measure of relief, he found that at least his fever had gone down a bit.

Even asleep Nico was restless. He shivered violently, disjointed nightmares filling his head, causing him to whimper and squirm.

His heart was beating fast, too fast, each palpitation more painful than the last.

With a jolt, he woke with a gasp, his ragged breathing evening out when he realized he wasn’t in any danger.

“Will?” he said, staring dazedly at the blond. He propped himself up on his arms and started trying to get out of bed. “I need to get off…”

“Woah there, babe…” Will said, grabbing his arms gently. “What do you mean get off? You can’t be on your feet, you’re really sick-”

The glassiness to Nico’s eyes made his chest hurt, watching as he struggled the slightest bit against Will’s grip. He was sweating and shaking, his heart monitors off of the charts.

“Nico, it’s alright, just breathe, okay?” He prompted gently, stroking his hair back. “Can I get you anything? How about you try some of this water, it’ll make you feel better.” He urged gently, grabbing the cup.

“No,” Nico said, shaking his head. He was pulling feebly against Will’s hold, but not making any headway. “I need off—”

He started picking at his IVs, pulling at the tape holding them in place. His body shuddered while he worked, and he made a frustrated grunt when his trembling hands made fiddling with his IVs near impossible.

“I need to get off the bed, Will. I need to leave.”

Gently, Will took his hands and restrained them, easily. “Nico, love, I think you’re a little delirious…” he warned gently, stroking his hair slowly with one hand. “Do you remember what happened?”

When he realized Nico wasn’t going to let up, he wrapped both arms around him, restricting his movement just slightly but keeping a gentle grip.

“I’m not ready to go home yet, okay? I’m still tired, I think we should stay just a little longer, okay?”

Nico wiggled in Will’s hold, still trying to accomplish who knows what. Unfortunately, his stamina was worn thin, and after only a few minutes, he slumped against Will’s chest, completely spent.

“Okay, okay…” he breathed, swallowing. “I’m tired too.

He tilted his head back on Will’s shoulder, closing his eyes. His breathing was getting choppy again, his chest rising against Will’s arms. “I can’t breathe,” Nico whined.

He managed to loosen Will’s hold on him, raising his arm and pawing at the oxygen mask, clumsily trying to take it off.

Will quickly relinquished his hold when it appeared Nico wasn’t going to tear an IV out, gently loosening the straps but keeping the mask on.

“Sweetheart, the mask has to stay on, you have to be more careful. This is giving you the oxygen you need, okay? I promise, taking it off is just going to make it harder, alright? Maybe I can ask if they’ll get you one that goes under your nose instead of over your face, okay? Do you want to try and drink some water?”

“No water,” Nico said vehemently. “I need to get off the bed, Will.”

He pushed Will gently, just to get some space between them. He was still fiddling with the oxygen mask, picking at the tape on his skin, his hands seemingly desperate for something to keep them busy.

His brow was furrowed, his face screwed in discomfort, but he continued picking and pulling on his equipment until Will was forced to pull him into his arms again.

“Nico. I love you, and I’m sorry, but you aren’t getting off of this bed.” He argued, pressing the button for the nurse. “You’re very sick. You can’t even stand on your own.”

Gently, he held his wrists, humming under his breath. “Just relax, okay? It’s going to be okay, we’ll get you an ice pack and some more medicine. I’ll see about a cannula instead, too.”

This time when Nico began to struggle, something in him was determined to break away. He thrashed against Will’s gentle restraint, his eyes wild and terrified.

As he began to realize that Will wasn’t going to let go, Nico’s eyes welled up with tears, wetness coursing down his cheeks as he made pitiful, captive noises, the fight leaving him in favor of despair.

Without warning, his stomach lurched, his shoulders rolling as he gagged wetly into his lap.

It didn’t take long for Will to realize, then, that something was very /wrong/. His grip loosened quickly, moving instead to hold Nico by his waist rather than the other more suffocating way.

“Nico, I’m- I’m sorry, I know you’re not.” He paused, quickly lifting a hand to wipe tears back. “I know you’re hurting and you’re scared, but-” The sudden gag caught him off guard, stilling completely for a brief moment, watching with wide eyed horror.

After that, though, his instincts kicked in, and he quickly helped Nico out of the mask, searching around desperately for an emesis bin or something.

With the mask gone, Nico didn’t feel quite so much like he was suffocating. Still his stomach was roiling and he gagged again, a thick burp bubbling up his throat.

He whimpered piteously, his throat bobbing convulsively as he swallowed the taste of something acidic. In a last ditch effort to save from soiling the one space he was confined to, Nico flung himself toward the side of the bed, clutching the rail in a white-knuckled grip. His stomach heaved again, red-tinted bile splashing onto the linoleum floor, the color the only remnant of the popsicles Nico had eaten earlier.

Will quickly grabbed his shoulders, his hold gentle as Nico trembled and vomited up the meager contents of his stomach, consisting only of a popsicle and a few sips of water.

Will held him steady, rubbing slow, soothing circles on his back as he threw up. “Shh, shh, get it up, you’re going to be okay…” even the reassurances felt like lies, though he hoped his voice was convincing enough.

One of the nurses came in, frowning gently as she scurried over and messed with Nico’s IV, inserting something through his line. She bustled about, getting Nico a plastic emesis bin to hold onto, calling for a janitor, and looking over Nico’s vitals.

Nico was pulled back against Will’s chest, but he hovered over the emesis bin, dry heaving uselessly, his back arching with each desperate heave.

By the time the anti-emetics in his drip started to take affect, Nico had resolved to hugging his shoulders, trying to still his quaking form. His throat hurt, his chest hurt, his lungs were burning, and his eyes pooled with tears, both from exertion and misery. The only consolation was that Will was still beside him, his arms wrapped around Nico’s shoulders, keeping him upright so that Nico didn’t have to.

Will shushed him gently, keeping his hair back and the emesis bin steady as he continued to gag and heave. By the time it was finally dying down, Nico was crying again, and Will was getting frantic.

He set the bin aside but within reach, gently cupping Nico’s chin and wiping his mouth with a tissue, then moving in and quickly kissing along his cheeks, kissing away tears and over his eyes and all over his face. “It’s okay, it’s okay, shhh.” He said, stroking under his eyes and up through his hair.

Will’s gentle ministrations only made Nico feel that much worse. He wrapped his hands around Will’s T-shirt, quiet sobs wracking his body. He had never felt so bad in his entire life—very moment seemed so much worse than the last.

He was aware of the nurse in the room, talking to Will in hushed voices. Through his tears, he could vaguely hear her telling Will that some of his vitals were staying elevated, even after a full day’s worth of antibiotics. She mentioned his infection and promised to have the doctor come in soon with Nico’s blood test results—for now, they were doing their best to treat his symptoms as they appeared.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Will murmured to him, only after the nurse had finally left them to rest. He continued to stroke up and through his hair, gentle and slow and wishing he was being somewhat soothing. He felt guilty- a lot of this was his fault, regardless of anything, and he regretted every second of his stupid vacation planning. Nico was a mess, more than Will had ever seen him, and nothing he did was helping, not even a little.

Will kind of wanted to cry some more, too, but he tried to resist the urge. Regardless of how terrible he was doing at comforting, Nico still needed him. “Shhh, shh… it’s going to be okay. Is there anything I can do? Anything at all, I just want to help you, okay?”

Nico sniffled wetly, breathing in short hiccuping gasps. He wanted to tell Will, again, that he just wanted to go home, but even with all of Will’s power as a cardiologist, Nico knew that that decision was beyond his control. Pretty much everything Nico wanted was out of Will’s hands.

He shook his head against Will’s stomach, not wanting to meet his eyes. Seeing Will’s face, Nico knew, would just upset him, and he didn’t know if he had enough strength for another meltdown.

“Just don’t let go…” he said, wrapping his arms tighter around Will’s waist.

“I’m sorry..” Will whispered, holding him just a bit tighter, keeping him pulled close and protectively. “I’m so, so sorry.” He mumbled, chewing at his lip.

Gently, he just kept carding his fingers through his hair, trying hard to keep him calm, doing what he remembered helped the previous times he was stuck in a hospital. Will felt sick to his stomach, guilty, wishing more than anything that he could just take the pain away.

“What’s wrong with me?” Nico asked, his voice small and wavering. “Why am I so sick?”

If possible, he buried himself deeper into Will’s side, more tears slipping past his defenses. He was miserable.

“I don’t want to be here anymore, Will. Please, I want to go—anywhere—I just don’t want to be sick anymore.”

“I know, Nico…” Will whispered, voice uneasy as he tried to comfort, to no avail. “I promise, I’m- they’re doing everything they can, okay? I promise you’re going to get better, it just.. can’t happen overnight…”

“I wish I could take you away from here, but there’s nothing I can do. You know I would if I could, Neeks.”

Nico took a shuddering breath, swiping his eyes with his forearm and rolling onto his back. Only then did he meet Will’s eyes and he saw, with no small amount of surprise, that the blond’s eyes were tired and red, probably much like Nico’s own.

He heaved a weary sigh and pressed his hands into his eyes. “I’m cold,” he said petulantly, feeling blindly for his threadbare hospital blanket.

Instead he found Will’s hand. He hesitated, his hand hovering over Will’s own, but eventually, he grasped it, still desperate for the comfort that he knew Will was all too willing to give.

“This isn’t just about my heart anymore, is it?”

Will gently reached over to fix the blanket around him, tucking him in firmly before Nico found his hand and squeezed weakly. Somehow, it comforted Will a little.

“It’s an infection.” Will mumbled, squeezing his hand back, just wanting to be close to him, to comfort. “It’ll be okay, they have you on crazy heavy antibiotics, which means it’ll clear out, it just…” he sighed. “Might take a little while.”

Nico curled up with the blanket, trying to make himself very small and very warm. He held Will’s hand and snuggled against it, pressing light, lazy kisses to his wrist. He closed his eyes and exhaled, wondering how he was still so tired when he had slept the better half of the last day and a half.

“I don’t want to go to sleep,” he mumbled defiantly to himself, already feeling it beginning to drag him down. He whined softly, his eyes fluttering open.

He was shivering again, a good sign that his fever was rising. He slid his head back on his pillow, the fabric pleasantly cool against his heated skin.

“I feel like I have the flu,” he said, blinking slowly, “but a hundred times worse. I think this should take care of me being sick for the rest of my life.”

“I think that once this is over, you should probably never get sick, ever again, for the rest of your life.” Will mumbled as Nico kissed his hand. “I think that I deserve a little less trauma, too.” He joked tiredly.

Nico hummed in agreement. “No more trauma. No more hospitals.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna sleep any more? I’m still pretty exhausted.” Will admitted, giving Nico’s hand a squeeze. “Maybe if you’re feeling better when you wake up, we can go on a walk or something.. I saw a huge fish tank downstairs.”

At the mention of the fish tank, Nico’s eyes flashed open, not having realized that he had already begun to doze off. “What, really?” he asked, eyes wide with childlike wonder.

“A huuuuge fish tank.” Will hummed, stroking his hair gently. “I think it was in the pediatrics ward, but I’m sure we can sneak in.” He said, kissing his hand lightly.

“I mean, you’re not well enough to be up and on your feet yet, but I can get you a wheelchair.” He murmured, stroking along his cheek. “But you have to rest, first.”

Nico frowned at the mention of a wheelchair, but Will’s hand that was stroking his hair was just enough to distract him. Will’s voice was soothing, his touch comforting.

And he really was tired. Before he’d even realized it, his eyelids had slipped closed and his pain seemed to fade with consciousness. “Rest first,” he agreed. “Cool fish later.”

“Cool fish later.” Will reiterated, nodding firmly. “Get some rest.” A gentle kiss on the forehead and Nico was already mostly gone, Will going back to stroking his hair and leaning back in bed.

It didn’t take very long for him to doze off as well, still exhausted.


	7. Chapter 7

When Nico woke again, it was several hours later. The lights in the room were dimmed, but not completely out, giving him the vague impression of nightfall. His body was sore, but not in agony, making him wonder if Will had pushed some more meds into him after he’d gone to sleep.

He pulled the oxygen mask off—he really hated that thing—and took a couple of deep breaths on his own, just to see how well he could manage it. It was fine until his lungs began to ache, forcing him to breathe shallower. As long as Will wasn’t watching him, he would defiantly keep the mask off.

Will was sound asleep beside him. It wouldn’t have been a problem if Nico wasn’t so hungry and if Will wasn’t sleeping on top of the call remote. Nico decided he really should have forced down that second popsicle slush.

He opted instead to play with Will’s hair, count the freckles on his cheeks, and snuggle closer to him just because he could.

Will shifted tiredly against Nico’s side, yawning very softly as he felt the hand beginning to work in his hair.

It wasn’t too long until his eyelids began to flutter. He’d slept a fair amount this time, long enough to leave him feeling much more alive and significantly less sluggish.

The first thing he noticed was that he was no less than starving, his stomach grumbling as he shifted on his side and gently draped an arm over Nico’s stomach. Sleepily, he pressed a kiss to Nico’s neck, exhaling softly. “Morning.” He hummed, “How long have you been up?”

“Not long,” Nico said biting back a yawn. “Mmm, I’m not awake yet.”

He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling tiles—he could breathe better when his lungs had room to expand. He felt less tired today, maybe even daring to say he felt better, and he hoped Will would make good on his promise and let him leave his room.

“Are you hungry?” Nico asked with a laugh, as a loud rumble from Will’s stomach split the air.

Will pressed a quick kiss to Nico’s nose, smiling just a little. Despite everything, Nico wasn’t crying or in too much pain, and that was a huge, huge relief.

His cheeks flushed pink as soon as Nico laughed at him, and he rolled his eyes. “I haven’t eaten anything except packaged cookies for like.. 48 hours, mind you,” Will said, ruffling his hair.

“Then go downstairs and get something to eat,” Nico said, smiling sincerely. “As long as you promise not to faint on me again. I’m running out of hands for new IVs.”

His voice was light and teasing, but his eyes betrayed his worry. While he was feeling better now, he had a sneaking suspicion that his strength was dwindling the longer he stayed cooped up in the hospital—if something were to happen to Will again, Nico figured he’d be even less useful than before.

“I could go for another popsicle,” he said, kissing Will’s lips.

“Maybe they’ll let you come with me.” Will mused, kissing him back. “Quick adventure to the cafeteria for snacks, then a trip to the fish tank.” He said, smiling the slightest bit against Nico’s lips.

“I won’t faint again.” Will assured, giving his shoulders a tiny squeeze. “If only because the idea of you ripping out another IV is horrifying.”

Nico flexed his injured hand, self-consciously. That whole debacle had been pretty horrifying. It should never have happened.

“How are you going to convince them to let me go downstairs when you won’t even let me get out of bed?” he asked playfully.

“Mm, wheelchair. I’d offer a piggy back ride, but you have a lot of equipment that you come with.” He teased, kissing his face before wrinkling his nose. “Excuse me, where’s the oxygen mask, sir?”

Grabbing the cannula this time instead of the mask, he narrowed his eyes and looped it around Nico’s ears and under his nose. “This needs to stay on.”

“Did you just call me sir? Will—”

Prepared to defend himself against the atrocity of the oxygen mask, Nico was almost pleasantly surprised at the level of comfort that came with the cannula. It wasn’t distracting or all too uncomfortable, not to mention it wasn’t as noticeable as the mask, which did wonders for his self-esteem.

“Oh my god,” he sighed, “this is so much better.” He took several deep breaths, not having realized until now how much the oxygen was actually helping.

Will rolled his eyes, kissing his mouth lightly. “Better? Good. These are a little nicer than the masks, but the masks are better when you’re really sick.” He said, stroking his hair back.

“Sit tight, m'gonna go find a wheelchair.” Will said, kissing his cheek once more. “We can have a romantic lunch date and watch the fish.”

“There is nothing romantic about me in a hospital gown,” Nico said to Will’s retreating back.

He felt a gnawing emptiness in his chest as he watched Will walk down the hall. Being carted away in an ambulance was one thing, but this time Will was leaving him of his own accord. It was only for a short time, and for Nico’s benefit, but that didn’t change how Nico’s felt about watching him round a corner and disappear.

Will was doing so much for him, as he had been doing since the first time they’d met. Granted, Will was doing his part as Nico’s cardiologist, and his selflessness had only grown since then. Though their vacation plans had gone awry, it didn’t change the fact that Will had thought to fly them halfway across the globe to begin with.

Nico could never repay the amount of kindness Will had shown him, and not that Will expected or even wanted it, Nico knew he couldn’t do anything being stuck in the hospital.

And that’s when an idea struck him.

Will returned not even a minute later carting a wheelchair, waving a hand as a means of showing it off. “Ta-da!”

Getting Nico into the wheelchair was more of a chore, but Will just ended up picking him up and setting him in the chair. Tucking a blanket around him, he leaned in and gave him a long kiss, then turned to hang his IV bag and oxygen from the back of the chair.

“Comfy? Are you in any pain? Ready for exploration?”

“A little lightheaded,” he admitted, but attributed it to all the moving after being stationary for so long. “No pain though, and totally ready to get out of here.”

Though it was nice not having to walk, the stares he received were unbearable. They barely made it to the elevator before Nico had his face buried in his hands, his face scarlet.

“If one more old woman mentions how cute we are I’m going to scream,” he mumbled.

“We _are_ cute.” Will said, grinning and mussing up his hair. “Like. Arguably the cutest.” He grinned and bent down to give Nico another kiss, smiling.

“So, can I coerce you into _something_ solid to eat? Anything? Even like… jello, or some pretzels? Anything. Something small.”

Nico considered that for a minute. He wasn’t at all nauseous today, and in fact, was actually quite hungry. That had to be a good sign. Still, he wasn’t ready to push his luck.

“I think jello would be okay, just as long as it isn’t the orange kind,” he added with a grimace.

He grabbed a tray and held it on his lap, watching as Will wheeled him around the cafeteria looking for something to eat.

“Only doctors would willingly eat hospital food,” he said, looking at all the selections. He wilted the smallest bit under Will’s pointed look. “Jello is hardly food.”

“If you don’t consider jello food, it no longer counts and you need to pick some real food.” Will teased, grabbing a packaged sandwich and a bag of chips.

“How do you feel about some juice? Orange juice is good for the immune system.” Will said, grabbing two bottles before pushing him further down the little line. “Plus, this is a foreign hospital. The food is probably better. The coffee definitely was.”

“Don’t make me get real food,” Nico said blanching. “But orange juice is fine—I want a straw.”

“Orange juice and jello will do for now.” He said, rolling his eyes. “But next time, the goal is for real food.”

Nico balanced their meals in his lap, looking at all the food they passed, but not really wanting any of it. He would try real food later, for now he just wanted something soft and sugary.

At the end of the line were desserts. Nico watched with mild interest as Will grabbed him some green jello.

“I feel like a table,” he said with a definite pout as he put the dessert on the tray.

“You are a table right now.” Will teased, kissing his cheek. “But just because I can’t carry a tray and push you around. You’ll live for now.” He said.

After that, he found a quiet corner of the cafeteria, parking Nico’s chair, kissing Nico softly before moving to sit down.

Nico picked up his spoon and took a tentative bite of jello, sitting absolutely still as it traveled down to his stomach. When it didn’t immediately make him queasy, he managed a second spoonful, and then a third, before a long sip of orange juice. It had been too long since he’d had anything to eat and he soon felt himself grow less shaky and weak.

He watched amusedly as Will tore into his sandwich, devouring it like a starving man, which Nico supposed he was.

“So, tell me about this fish tank,” Nico said, trying to sound disinterested, but was actually having a hard time containing his excitement. “How did you find out about it?”

Yawning softly, Will finished off his sandwich pretty quickly, drinking half of his juice before nibbling on the chips.

“You sound pretty excited.” Will teased, grinning. “I saw it when I went to get coffee while you were in recovery. I tried to bribe a nurse into getting it for me, but she advised against 4 shots of espresso, so she wouldn’t do it.”

“It’s huge. Very tropical. I guess it fits, since this whole place is tropical. I wish I could have taken you scuba diving.” Mumbled Will, getting a sour look on his face.

“We were going to go scuba diving?” he asked, his heart sinking.

“And snorkeling.” Mumbled Will, huffing a sigh, “Whale watching. Surfing.” The last part was mumbled longingly, the thing Will had been looking forward to most of all.

“But.” He huffed. “Nothing we can do about it now. That’s okay, though. Someday we can go on a real vacation and it’ll be that much more satisfying.” He said, kissing him.

Nico could empathize with that though—he hadn’t wanted to obtain an infection serious enough to land him in the hospital either. He would have much rather have sat on the beach and watched Will surf. He wouldn’t apologize, mostly because he knew Will didn’t blame him, but also because there was literally nothing he could have done to prevent what had happened.

He reached out and stole a chip when he thought Will wasn’t looking, smiling coyly when Will caught him with the food halfway to his mouth. “I’m _really_ hungry.”

“Please, have the rest.” He said, handing the bag over. “I want you to eat, please.”

Nico took the bag somewhat greedily, popping a handful of chips into his mouth, washing them down with another sip of orange juice. If he was eating, that meant he was getting better, and if he was getting better, that meant they could leave the hospital soon. They still had a few more days of vacation left before they had to fly back home.

Will sighed, somewhat relieved to see Nico eating some real food. “Really, love, if you feel up to it, I can go and get you a sandwich or something.” Will said, smiling at him. “Your color is a little better.”

Nico shook his head. “The chips are fine—a little greasy, but they compliment the jello and orange juice,” he said with a laugh. “Are you saying pale isn’t my color?”

“You weren’t pale, you were gray.” Will accused, rolling his eyes. “This is much better, trust me.” He said, running a thumb under his eyes. “Still look tired, though. Don’t eat too quick, the antibiotics alone are notorious for making people nauseous.” He warned.

“I think I remember seeing some people surfing in front of our hotel,” Nico said, trying to discern what was real and what had all been a fevered illusion. “We might still have time before we leave…”

“I think once you’re discharged, we should probably just get the quickest flight home.” Will sighed, shaking his head. “I want to get you home as soon as I can. We’ll have to go in for an overall checkup at our hospital, though, and get all of the files transferred. I don’t know if we’ll put in another pacemaker or if we need to look for other options…”

Nico groaned. “More hospitals? It can’t be helped, I guess, but still.” He looked squarely at Will, his expression guarded. “Are there options other than the pacemaker?”

“Mm, there are, but they’re all more complicated. The pacemaker was the best option, really, but… it depends on how your body heals. You might just have to take it easy for a while and then get another.”

Nico sighed. He figured as much—it was the same thing he’d been told after his first pacemaker surgery. He hadn’t gotten sick back then, but there had always been the fact that he could still need another one looming over him. The very idea of more surgery, more scars, more Will slaving away to make sure he was happy and comfortable just put him in a bad mood.

“Can we go see the fish now? I’m getting kind of tired.” He was tired, but that wasn’t why he wanted to leave. He was pathetically frustrated and he hoped that doing something other than eating snacks would take away some of his anxiety.

“Let’s go see the fish.” Will agreed, forcing a gentle smile and leaning over to give Nico a long, soft kiss. “Hey. I love you.” He said, squeezing his hand gently. “Don’t worry too much. Let’s take advantage of you feeling okay right now. I wonder if they’ll let you feed them.”

Standing up, Will threw the trash away and left the bottle of orange juice balanced on the wheelchair. “I think the fish are all tropical.” He hummed.

Nico closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. He was so, so grateful for Will. “Like Finding Nemo,” he breathed with a small smile.

“If you want, we can find a movie to watch once we get back to the room. I’m still tired,” Will admitted, “but I probably won’t sleep right away, and we can watch something until you’re tired enough.”

Will had been right about the aquarium. Located in the heart of the pediatrics ward, the wide cylindrical tank was surrounded by people, children and adults alike. Even though the tank reached halfway up the ceiling and could easily be seen from across the room, children swarmed beneath it, excitedly pointing to the fish they thought was prettiest.

“Whoa. That’s awesome,” Nico said, mouth agape as Will wheeled his forward.

They approached the tank, and Will couldn’t help but feel a little giddy when he saw the look on Nico’s face.

“Here, let me get you closer.” Will hummed, pushing him up to the glass in a spot that was mostly clear. “I think there might be a stingray in here, somewhere.”

Nico leaned forward in his chair, fighting not to press his hands against the glass. He peered up at the tank, eyes roving across schools of fish and coral reefs, until finally, he spotted the silver wings and barbed tail of the stingray.

“Look, Will, there it is!” he exclaimed, beaming and pointing. “Here it comes!”

Will perked up when Nico spoke up, his cheeks hurting from how wide his smile was. “Woah, he’s beautiful.” Will murmured, glancing as it glided sleekly past them against the glass. “Look, he’s smiling at you,” He grinned.

Drawn by their outburst, several people began to crowd around them, blocking Nico’s view of everything that wasn’t immediately over his head. Without thinking, he pushed himself up from the wheelchair, forcing himself up on trembling legs.

Will made a distressed noise when Nico stood, though, moving forward and grasping his hips lightly to keep him steady.

Nico felt the steady hands at his sides, and he rocked back into them, distributing his weight so he wouldn’t fall. He turned and pressed his lips to Will’s cheek in thanks, spinning back around to make sure he didn’t miss anything important.

Will rolled his eyes, Nico just as quick to turn back to the tank after kissing him. The crowd dispersed a bit, leaving the two of them with an easy view of the vast side of the tank. A handful of seahorses at the bottom were Will’s favorite, and he watched them with interest.

Staring up at the fishes, it was easy for Nico to forget everything else that had been troubling him, or even that he was sick. Without even realizing it, he heard himself laughing along with the children, grinning from ear to ear. It was strange how something as innocent as an aquarium could make him feel so happy, especially after everything that had happened the past few days.

Nico sat down only when standing grew taxing on his lungs. Slightly breathless, he faced Will, a smile still on his lips and took his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for this. It really cheered me up.”

When Nico sat back down, Will ruffled his hair gently and smiled at the tank, not taking his eyes off of a fish that looked suspiciously like Dory.

“You’re welcome.” Will hummed, leaning down for a real kiss and pulling back, grinning. “Your smile is worth it all, trust me. I’ll have to take you to a big aquarium back home when you’re feeling better.”

“I’d like that,” Nico said, stifling a yawn into his hand. “Really, that’d be great.”

Despite enjoying the time out of the ICU, his time away left him exhausted. Still, the trip down to pediatrics had been good for him, if anything, to give him a break from listening to all those monitors.

“Hey, Will,” he said lightly, craning his neck all the way back that it almost hurt. He grinned, remembering all the tough times, especially recently, and how Will had always been to make things better—Will really was the best medicine Nico could have ever asked for. “I love you.”

Will dropped down for a Spiderman-style kiss, quick and gentle and goofy. Their noses bumped, and he giggled.

“I love you more.” Will insisted, pulling back to instead press a hand to Nico’s forehead. “Hm. You’re a little warm, we better get you back to your room to rest.” Will said, a gentle frown on his face.

He began wheeling Nico back towards the room, humming lightly under his breath.

Nico watched the passing hospital walls in a daze. Him having a fever explained why he had suddenly felt so tired, but at least he had fun while it lasted. And he got to kiss Will on what had sort of felt like a date.

It was nice to hear Will humming as he pushed Nico through the halls, but the jovial atmosphere seemed choked as they made it back to the room—being in a wheelchair aside, being back in the ICU only reaffirmed that he was still a patient in the hospital.

“Thanks for today,” Nico said again. “I was starting to go crazy being stuck in this room.”

“You’re welcome, silly. Quit thanking me, it’s not like I did anything spectacular.” He hummed, kissing his cheek.

“Everything about you is spectacular,” Nico said with a smile.

He stood from the chair on only slightly wobbly legs and turned to give Will a kiss on the cheek. Nico could really only speak for himself, but his day _was_ spectacular, all because of Will and everything he did. When Will practically scooped Nico off his feet and tucked him into bed, Nico couldn’t help the amused sound that slipped from his lips.

“You’re cute, but you’re also warm and sleepy. Let’s take a nap.” Carefully, they transported Nico from the chair to the bed again, Will helping him get situated and tucking his legs under the blankets, giving him a quick, sweet kiss before going to busy himself with rehooking all of his appliances.

“Oh my gosh.” Will felt his cheeks go hot, rolling his eyes and chuckling as he helped tuck him in. “I love you, you dork.”

“How’s your stomach? Feeling okay?” He asked, carefully clipping the IV bag back where it went, slipping the oxygen meter over his finger.

“Let’s watch a movie. You could use some down time too. And my stomach’s fine,” Nico added. “A little overly full, considering I only had jello and chips.”

Yawning despite himself, Will stretched out and kicked off his shoes and got situated on the edge of the bed, not wanting to take up too much space. “That’s good. This is good. You’re healing.” Will promised softly.

Nico hummed softly, twining his arms around Will’s waist. “Good, because I miss this,” he said, pulling Will down so he was lying beside him.

“I miss cuddling and kissing and _everything_.” Will mumbled, letting Nico pull him down. He couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and resting his cheek on his head.

From here, Nico peppered sleepy kisses along Will’s neck, huffing a laugh when he felt goosebumps break out across his skin. Fever or not, he felt well enough for this.

Will couldn’t help the involuntary shiver as he reached for the remote, Nico’s warm breath giving him goosebumps. “Woah.” He mumbled, chuckling. “That feels nice.” He admitted, tiredly.

Nico murmured his assent, his lips trailing up Will’s jaw. He found Will’s hands, grasped them, and held on tightly. “It better feel nice,” he said with a smile. “I’m out of practice.”

Will hummed softly, tilting his head back as Nico pressed on, squeezing onto Nico’s hands when their fingers twined. “I love you.”

As the gentle hum of the tv met his ears, Nico fell away with a sigh. “But I’m too tired to keep it up for much longer,” he mumbled, embarrassed.

Sighing softly when it was over, Will turned to return the favor with a quick kiss to Nico’s lips. “I’d probably fall asleep if you kept going.” Will joked, yawning widely and settling back into the pillows, an arm around Nico’s shoulders. “It feels too nice.”

“Honestly, I’d fall asleep too,” Nico admitted, fighting off his own yawn.

He nuzzled against Will’s chest, relishing the feeling of being cradled in Will’s arms. “You’re like a nice, warm pillow. A pillow who gives kisses…”

Nico smiled to himself, knowing the rambling was coming from fighting off the urge to sleep for so long. Though he was getting better, the fact was he was still feverish and more sleep would probably be good for him. And Will’s presence was so comforting.

Will laughed, leaning lightly against Nico, feeling his eyes steadily grow heavier. “I mean, that might be all that I’m good for.”

Yawning into Nico’s hair, he asked what he wanted to watch, as if they weren’t going to fall asleep five minutes into the movie. Truthfully, at this rate it’d be a miracle if they made it in time to make a decision. Sniffling quietly, he stretched out his arms and wiggled his fingers, one of the nurses coming in to check Nico’s vitals.

Nico mumbled an indiscernible movie title, knowing he wouldn’t make it past the opening credits anyway. He whined when the nurse came in to check his vitals—his fever was low grade and wasn’t even bothering him, but he was made to sit up and handed a couple of ibuprofen and a cup of water anyway. The disappointing part was having to disentangle himself from Will’s embrace.

If the nurse said anything relevant about his condition, Nico missed it all, already half asleep and swallowing down pills with his eyes closed. He vaguely heard something about discharge papers.

Will gently took the cup of water from Nico’s grip, only when his sleepy boyfriend began to drift off, the water balancing precariously over to the edge of the cup as his grip loosened.

Nico only shifted, and Will watched as the nurse injected some mild painkillers into his IV. Will smiled at her, watching as Nico fought the losing battle. As careful as he could be, Will gently shifted him into the pillows, fixing the covers over him.

Nico felt himself being moved, but he was already so far gone that it hardly registered with him. His head hit the pillow and he sighed, blankets being tucked snugly around him.

He wiggled over, snuggling against the warm body beside him, yawning openly. “G'night,” he mumbled sleepily, consciousness fading before Will even got a chance to respond.

Will didn’t mind the sudden sleeping, relieved more than anything that Nico was both feeling better _and_ in better spirits. All of the crying, the heartbreak, the pain- it’d been hard for the both of them. Will already knew he’d have nightmares for weeks. This entire experience had been completely and utterly awful.

The nurse murmured gently to Will about Nico’s condition. He could be discharged the next morning, but she suggested they rest another day in the hotel, just so Nico would have time out of the hospital to sleep.

Will thanked her tiredly, turning on some cartoons before dozing off himself, arms around his boyfriend.


	8. Chapter 8

It took Nico's sleep-addled brain several seconds to realize what had woken him. The room was shrouded in darkness, Will snoring softly beside him, arms draped protectively around him.

He blinked back the haze from his eyes; healing or not, he was still on a lot of medications, though at lower doses. He wriggled some in Will's grasp, trying to get a good look around. It was when he turned in the direction of the monitors that he saw the nurse, clipboard in hand as she recorded his late night vitals.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked softly, scrawling a note on her file with a small smile. "Sorry for waking you, I try to be as careful as possible not to wake the patients."

Will shifted, snored softly, and buried his cheek against Nico's hair. His grip tightened slightly, his boyfriend held protectively against him.

Nico chuckled lightly, Will's hair tickling his forehead. "It's okay," he said fondly, brushing back Will's curls. "I've been doing a lot of sleeping already."

He watched the nurse bustle around the room, reviewing his vitals, adjusting something on his drip. "I'm doing okay, feeling better than I have the past few days actually. Any chance of me getting out of here anytime soon?" he asked hopefully.

"Did your boyfriend not tell you?" She asked, giving him a gentle smile. "Tomorrow morning, I think. Possibly the afternoon, depending on your fever." She said, gently checking his IV drip before standing back up. "Your vitals are good, though, your heartbeat is strong- you're doing really well. Your incision sight is good too."

Nico was so taken aback by her statement that he couldn't even be upset at Will for not telling him. Tomorrow—he'd be free tomorrow. He heaved a sigh of relief, his hand going to his chest unconsciously. "Is there anything I can do to make sure it's the morning? The sooner the better."

He turned and checked his own vitals. He did still have the fever, that much was obvious by the fatigue and slight feeling of malaise that weighed heavily on his shoulders, but it was still low enough that the hospital considered discharging him. And his incision—Nico himself hadn't thought to check the scar after his last surgery, the thought of the raised, angry-looking mark marring his skin was less than appealing. He had just assumed that Will or the doctors would take care of that, which evidently they had when he must have been out of it.

"And another thing, do you know a place to rent surf boards? Not for me," he added quickly when the nurse gave him a look with the clear impression that he was crazy for even thinking about surfing in his condition. "He really wanted to surf on this trip." He patted Will's hair fondly, a sad smile playing on his lips.

The nurse chuckled softly, shaking her head with relief when she realized that he wasn't, in fact, talking about himself. "He looks like he could be a surfer." The nurse mused, stepping back from the machines.

"Well, there's a beach almost right across the street, and a rental place nearby. I can get you some information about it, if you want, but you'll have to take it very easy."

Was there a beach across the street? Nico hadn't seen the outdoors since he'd looked out the window at their hotel. Frankly, he didn't even know where they were in relation to the hotel.

"That would be great, thanks." His eyes drifted back to Will when he blond shifted beside him. "I have no intention of doing anything but laying in the sand. Let him do all the fun stuff," Nico mumbled, biting back a yawn.

The nurse smiled and nodded. "I'll see what I can do. You should go back to sleep, it's late. The best thing for you now is rest." She said, moving toward the exit of the room.

An hour or so later, she returned to a quiet room, both boys asleep. She set a sheet of paper on the bedside table, having called the rental place to let them know ahead of time.

When Will woke up the next morning, Nico was still asleep and he was feeling significantly better than he had the entire vacation. The room was quiet, some of the monitors having been removed overnight.

Nico struggled with wakefulness, eyes fluttering only when he felt Will stretching beside him. He blinked lazily, eyes bleary as he fought off the lingering sleepiness.

"I dreamed I was a cat," he said groggily, "and I just stayed up curled up beside you all day."

As he became more alert, he noticed some of his IV bags had been removed, whatever was still being pumped into him, falling at a slow, easy drip.

"Oh," he said, surprised. "All the machines are gone."

"Mm..." Will smiled sleepily at him, reaching over to stroke idly at his hair. "Yeah. You're getting discharged." He murmured, as if it was some big surprise. "In just a couple of hours."

Will's smile was sleepy, his posture lazy as he leaned over to give Nico a short good morning kiss.

"Really?" Nico asked, eyes wide. He stretched high over his head, toes curling beneath the sheets, and noticed the sheet of paper on the table beside his head. The table that, thankfully, had not been adorned with flowers, balloons, and teddy bears—little tokens of love that would have completely mortified him.

He reached for the paper, reading the note scrawled on the page. He beamed and gave Will another kiss. "We're going surfing. Or rather," he corrected, "you are."

Will blinked, rubbing sleep away from his eyes and turning to gaze at Nico. "What? No we're not." He finally said, shaking his head. "We're going home, Neeks. We're getting on a plane."

Will kissed him back regardless, flopping onto the pillows with a sigh. "Maybe you're more delusional than I thought."

"I am not," Nico said with a huff. He tried not to look too disappointed, the piece of paper clutched firmly in his hand. He'd ruined their vacation already—with something beyond his control—and he wasn't about to let Will's one chance to have a good time slip through his fingers.

"You don't have a choice," he said, smiling ruefully. He held the paper up for Will to see. "You have an appointment at 2. Your board will be ready then."

Will took a long moment to process what Nico was saying. Taking the paper, he frowned at the words on it- it wasn't as if he was upset, on the contrary. He just couldn't figure out how Nico had managed to plan this out.

Turning to Nico, he frowned. "Babe-" He said, feeling himself getting a little choked up. "How did you-"

Nico exhaled, relief washing over him. He half expected Will to be upset with him, and he managed a weak smile when he received the opposite reaction.

"The night nurse helped me set it up," he said, leaning back into the pillows. "You saying that you wanted to go surfing was the one thing I remembered before winding up here, so I wanted to make sure you got your chance."

It was too early for Will to function yet, the gesture making him overly emotional. Frowning a little, he wrapped Nico in a hug and squeezed gently. "I love you. I don't know how you went about that, but I love you."

"Are you sure you're well enough for that?" Will asked, frowning as he pulled away. "I mean, you really shouldn't be sitting in the sun."

Nico shrugged. "You're the doctor, and the nurse didn't have a problem with it when I told her last night."

He picked up his arm and draped it loosely over Will's shoulder. It was a little awkward with both of them lying down, but Nico didn't mind it so much. "We can get one of those huge umbrellas," he said, making a grandiose sweeping motion with his free hand. "It's just sunlight, Will, and I haven't seen any in days."

"Mmm... I don't know." He said, frowning. "I can't keep an eye on you if I'm surfing. I feel like that'd be a little irresponsible." He mumbled.

"We could get an umbrella... and a beach towel so you can lie down or a chair... and blankets, in case you get cold." He looked deep in thought, slipping into Nico's hold with ease.

Nico matched Will's frown with one of his own. "I'm not a child, Will. And I'm not so frail that a little outside time will send me back to the hospital."

"You're not a child, but you don't have a pacemaker and you are just getting over a deadly infection." Will said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, I'm not saying you're frail but, it's... you're just getting discharged, Neeks."

Nico shuddered despite himself, the thought of ending up back at the hospital, especially when he was about to be discharged, made his skin crawl. "Look," he said, capturing Will's lips with his own—his own form of apology for getting so defensive when he knew Will was just being cautious. "I want you to have the vacation that you paid for. The surfing is my way of saying thank you for always being there for me."

The kiss, however, caught Will off guard, and he paused for a second to reciprocate. "I know, I really appreciate it." Will said, wrapping his arms around him. "It's a great surprise. It'll be okay as long as we're careful."

"I promise to be careful," Nico said, kissing Will for good measure. "Umbrellas, towels, blankets, whatever you want—I think there's a book in my suitcase."

He stretched again, muffling a yawn behind his hand. "I think this place makes me sleepy," he said, fighting off another yawn. "I can't wait to watch you surf."

"Okay. Okay." Will said again, kissing him slowly and softly. "I love you so much. I'm so sorry this vacation turned out so terribly."

Standing up, Will stretched his arms out and wiggled his fingers. "You'll be sleepy for another couple of days, and you're going to be on antibiotics for a while longer." He warned, kissing his hand.

Nico kissed him with fervor, melting into Will's side. He pulled away with a gentle sigh. "Yes, because it's all your fault that my incision spread an infection throughout my entire body," Nico said rolling his eyes.

"Totally my fault." Will joked, though he definitely felt like he shouldered some of the blame. He kissed him once more, smiling. "Lets get you ready to go."

Nico tried not to look too disappointed when Will stood from the bed. "No more IVs I hope. Please tell me painkillers and antibiotics come in pill form."

"No more IV's." He promised, "All pills, nothing too bad. They might make you nauseous, but we'll get you some antiemetics if you need them."

Nico sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, grabbing the handrail as a wave of dizziness washed over him as he moved from lying down to sitting up. He stretched high over his head, his legs sliding down onto the tiled floor.

"C-Cold," he stammered as his bare feet touched the linoleum. He grabbed Will's sleeve, his legs wobbly after so many days without use. He wrapped himself around Will's arm, begging for warmth and needy without reason. "Do I even have clothes to wear out of here? I thought they cut my shirt."

Will wrapped a steadying arm around his shoulders, gently helping him to his feet and keeping him from wobbling over. "Careful, you're still sick, Nico... out of the hospital doesn't mean healed- you're probably at flu level, now..."

Gently lowering him back to a sitting position in the chair next to the bed, Will smiled. "I had an emergency bag packed when we left. Don't worry." The bag contained sweats, loose fitting and careful. "Let's get you changed."

"Wait, _this_ is flu level?" Nico asked, actually surprised by the information. Compared to how he had been over the last several days, Nico almost felt like he could run laps around the hospital without so much as a sweat. "What was I at before?"

Will sighed, moving to kiss him softly. "Infections like that can often be deadly, Nico. Let's just be happy it wasn't." Wrinkling his nose, he stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, exhaling slowly and shortly. He stood up, grabbing the rest of their things and putting it in the bag.

The stress of the whole situation resurfaced with a vengeance, the thought of Nico actually dying making him nauseous. Taking him to the beach would be just as idiotic as taking him on vacation weeks after surgery. He seemed fine, sure, but who knew what would happen? While he was healing, Nico needed to be resting and able to get somewhere safe if need be.

Nico pulled a pair of gray sweats from Will's duffle bag, slipping them on beneath his hospital gown. They were baggy and definitely not his own. He removed his gown with a flourish, untying the strings and tossing it onto the bed in favor of a loose fitting T-shirt.

Looking down and taking in his appearance, Nico couldn't help the sour look that appeared on his face. "I look like I'm going to a slumber party."

"I'm sorry about the clothes, but your stitches..." He muttered. "Neeks, I think maybe we should just- get the medicine you need and get to the airport. I don't want to risk something going wrong, not again-"

Of course he needed loose clothing, Nico thought, realizing he hadn't once thought about his stitches. He couldn't risk the fabric rubbing against the still healing scar and irritating the stitches, especially with the possibility of infection still sky high. Of course Will had thought of everything.

Which is why Nico didn't argue when Will asked to get out of surfing. He supposed it was logical—just standing and putting on his clothes was exhausting. "Will...," he murmured. He didn't have an argument against Will's decision to leave, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Will took out his phone, beginning to pull up information on flights home. Truthfully, all he wanted was to be back home and safe- the last thing he needed was another disaster like that one. He wasn't so sure he could handle that.

"It's just... Nico, I thought you were fine, and I thought this was a good idea, and then we got here, and you- you almost _died_ , and-" his voice hitched slightly, and he hardened his focus on his phone. "It's _risky_ , and I'm- I'm scared."

"No, I get it," Nico said dejectedly. "You're probably right. I mean—of course you are. I'm sure it was scary. And I'm sorry... I just wanted you to have a good time."

He took Will's hand and brought it to his lips. "I love you. I'm sorry, I'm not thinking about myself. When do we leave?"

Will chewed hard at his lip, determined not to start crying yet again. The last thing anyone needed right now was for him to start crying. He blamed himself for this entire epidemic, and it seemed like the only way to fix it, (or try to) was to get him home.

"I just want you to be safe..." Will whispered, blinking hard as the words on the screen blurred and distorted. "I just want to go home so this nightmare can be over-"

"Shh, okay, okay," Nico crooned. He stood up and wrapped his arms around Will, his own emotions threatening to get the better of him. "We'll go home, okay? I'm fine. Everything turned out all right."

He rubbed up and down Will's arms, standing on tip-toes to kiss at the blond's eyes when they grew misty. He took the phone from Will's precarious grip, scrolling through the list of flights when Will had all but checked out on him.

"Oh," Nico said, surprised. He turned the phone around and showed Will the screen. "The next flight home isn't for another four hours."

"I'm sorry." Will croaked uneasily, his own hand coming up cup carefully around Nico's arms, holding on. "I'm sorry, I just.. i'm just so _anxious_.." his voice cracked, and he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, pressing his face into his hair as he began tearing up.

He held on a little tighter than necessary, fingers curled into Nico's shirt as he struggled to get his emotions in check. When Nico pulled away, though, he sniffled and quickly swiped at his eyes, squinting at the phone. "Four hours..? That's a long time.."

"Uh huh, a very long time," Nico said, nodding. "Long enough to sneak in a half hour of surfing, maybe?"

He knew it was a dumb plea. Will had been very adamant in his decision to get Nico home as safely and as quickly as possible. But Nico couldn't say that he didn't try—he still very much wished that Will had had a chance to enjoy himself on this vacation.

"Too long..." Will mumbled, wrapping his arms around him yet again and closed his eyes, sniffling quietly and resting his cheek on Nico's head. "I'm too nervous to surf. I'd fall a lot and you'd laugh at me.."

"I'm kidding," Nico said, kissing Will's cheek. "We can go back to the hotel and take a short nap before we have to go to the airport. Now come on, cheer up. The nurses are going to think I was mean to you."

Their hotel had been called when Nico was admitted, warned them they wouldn't be returning. The place had been incredibly kind—they'd given Will a voucher for a free stay and left their room open for the remainder of the stay so they could get their things in their leisure.

"I just want to make sure we have something that will keep you comfortable for the flight..."

"Seeing your smile is the only thing I need, Will."

Nico slipped out of Will's grasp and sat back in the chair, drained. He held Will's hand, occasionally pressing light kisses to each side of his palm. "And I wouldn't laugh at you. You're great at everything."

Will frowned a little, sad that Nico had pulled away but knowing he needed to take it easy. "I dunno about that." Will said, sitting back on the edge of the bed. "I think you probably need lots of antibiotics and rest."

Sighing softly, he gave Nico's hand a squeeze. "I'm just nervous about taking you anywhere so soon after you started to recover..."

"And I'll have the antibiotics," Nico said, "and I've been resting for days. Frankly, I'm a little tired of it."

And just tired in general, but he didn't say that. Will didn't need another excuse to say no, though it was unlikely he'd say anything else.

"I know you are, and I appreciate you being cautious, but it's half an hour, Willl. I'll sit under the umbrella with towels, blankets—everything we talked about. It can't be more stressful that being on a plane for several hours."

Will looked hesitant. Of course he wanted to go surfing- he _loved_ surfing, and it had been a really long time, but that didn't mean it was a good idea.

But if they were going to be waiting around anyways, it wasn't like sitting on the beach was much different than sitting in a hotel room.

Chewing at his lip, Will nodded just a little bit. "Don't remind me about the plane thing..."

Nico bit back a smile, sensing Will's resolve beginning to slip. Somehow, he knew mentioning the plane ride would be just the push he needed to get Will to even consider his offer—if the blond thought the beach was dangerous, an airplane had to be ten times worse.

Nico stood again, draping his arms around Will's neck, and kissed him. "It's just thirty minutes. How about, the minute I start feeling any different than now, I'll let you know? If I have to, I'll settle with cuddling you in the hotel room until it's time to catch our flight."

Will sighed tiredly, his hesitation showing through. "I mean... I guess half an hour isnt that long... and I can stay close to the beach so you can see me." Will said, kissing him back.

"Of course I want to see you," Nico said with another swift kiss to the tip of Will's nose. "There's no point setting all this up if I don't get to watch you show off." He dipped his head into Will's collarbone. "I love you. You really do deserve this."

Will hummed his response, sighing tiredly and giving Nico a gentle squeeze. "I'm out of practice, don't get your hopes up too high." He warned, running his hand up the back of his shirt.

"The plane ride is what will suck... they said they'd give me enough of the heavier painkillers to keep you comfortable the whole time, though..."

Nico pulled a face at the mention of stronger painkillers—he already felt like a zombie with the ones he was on now. "Great," he said, wrinkling his nose. "So I won't remember any of the flight home."

"Oh, they're not stronger than what you're on now. You're already super drugged up. They'll slowly lower it once we get home."

Nico chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Drugged up." It wasn't a lie though. He knew the shear amount of medicine he was on attributed to how sluggish he felt. Maybe Will would like out and Nico would just take a nap in the sand.

"I want to see you surf," he reiterated, shuddering as he felt Will's cool hand slip beneath his shirt. "I don't care if you're out of practice."

"Mmm, well. If you want to see it so bad, you need breakfast." Will said, kissing the tip of his nose. With a tired sigh, he stood slowly and made his way to zip up their now packed bag. "I'll run and grab something for you to eat, okay? We'll have breakfast and then get all of the discharge stuff settled, okay?"

With a tired sigh, Will kissed Nico one last time before stepping out, taking a moment in the hallway to take several deep breaths before heading to the cafe downstairs. He returned with juice and a little breakfast plate for Nico, a granola bar for himself. "Eat what you can, okay? There are pancakes, if you feel up to it-" He said, handing over the tray.

Nico swallowed thickly at the sight of the pancakes. He was hungry, his appetite back with a vengeance after so many days on mushy popsicles in a cup, but the sight of the pancake, practically drowning in syrup, was enough to make him queasy. He pushed the plate away with vigor.

There was a bowl of fruit and scrambled eggs that he was more than happy to nibble on in the meantime. "What about you?" he asked around a mouthful of egg. "You can't get through the day eating only a granola bar."

Will rolled his eyes. "I know my limits, di Angelo." Truthfully, he was still too nervous to eat more than this, and surfing was hard work- the last thing he needed was to get sick, too.

He ate his granola bar, glad to see Nico eating a normal sized meal for the first time since they arrived. He'd been losing weight, and at this point Will knew it was getting ridiculous. He'd have to make sure he started eating right, again.

Nico polished off his scrambled eggs quickly, picking at his fruit out of necessity more than actual hunger. Even though it had only been less than a week, eating already seemed like a foreign concept to him and was something he'd have to fight to do without not nauseous.

"Yeah, yeah," he said popping a grape into his mouth. He picked absently at the bandages around his hand from when he'd inadvertently pulled out his IV. "I know I pushed for the whole surfing thing, but I'll be happy when we're finally home."

"We don't have to go, Nico. Honestly, I'd rather you be comfortable, don't do this just for me." He said quickly, frowning widely.

He stole half of a strawberry, if only because the pink color was nice to look at. Vibrant in such a dull place. He wished they allowed flowers in the ICU. Once they got home, he guessed.

"No, we definitely have to go. We _have_ to." Seeing the frown on Will's face, Nico added quickly, "Seriously, I'm fine. It's just, you know—I miss my own bubble." He waved his hands dramatically in front of his face, a goofy grin on his face. "Nico World."

He pushed the rest of the fruit in Will's direction, if only because it was a nice distraction to watch him eat. Nico might have been the one in the hospital, but Will needed to take care of himself too. "Come on, I'm bored. Can we leave yet?"

Will was taken a little bit aback by how badly Nico seemed to want him to go enjoy the water. When he really thought about it, he was sure Nico knew how stressed he was. He was reminded of how much he _really_ loved Nico, deeply and stupidly hard, someone who was trying his best to cheer him up from his hospital bed.

Very quickly, he leaned in to give Nico a long, passionate kiss. "I love you." He said, kissing his cheek. "I'll get you back to Nico world soon." He promised. Stealing another piece of strawberry, he smiled a little. "These would be better with sugar on them."

While Nico was caught off guard by the suddenness of Will's kiss, it didn't mean that he didn't melt completely at the feel of Will's lips on his own. "Whoa...," he breathed with a smile when Will finally pulled away, stumbling and lightheaded.

"I love you too," Nico said, still trying to get the pleasantly dazed look off his face.

"If that'll shut you down so quickly, I oughta be doing it more often." Said Will, rolling his eyes. "I think we can probably go now, but let me go double check with your nurse. We need to take out that Iv, too."

Will went to talk to the nurse, getting the rest of the papers signed before going back to the room. "Good luck, you're free to go. I have all of your meds here."

"Finally," Nico sighed. They still had to wait for the nurse to take out his last IV, but she was right on Will's heels when he strolled back into the room.

His IV was removed under Will's watchful gaze because Nico refused to watch the needle as it slid out from beneath his skin. He was given instructions on how to take his medicine: antibiotics three times a day until he could schedule an appointment with his cardiologist back home (which was basically Will), and his painkillers were to be taken liberally as needed, though she suggested a pill and a half for the flight since the pressure in the cabin was likely to cause him some discomfort.

Much to Nico's chagrin, he was forced into a wheelchair—at least until the front door, the nurse assured him. "I don't know which I hate more," Nico said, trying valiantly to sound casual and not let his true bitterness come across in his tone, "hospitals or wheelchairs."

Will took Nico's hand, walking beside him as they made their way to the exit of the hospital. Will shot a longing glance at the fish tank, swearing he'd take Nico to a real aquarium sometime soon.

"I know you hate the wheelchair. I'll piggy back you to the beach, though. I don't know if we should go there now, then rest at the hotel after? Do you feel well enough? Or would you rather go to the hotel first to rest?"

"If we don't go now, we never will," Nico said a little sadly. He could feel his muscles, achy from so much movement, and he knew he'd be gone the moment he laid eyes on the hotel room bed. He told himself he'd get time to sleep on the plane ride home.

It was the first time Nico didn't immediately voice his opposition for a piggyback ride. He knew there was no point, really—if Nico was getting his way with surfing, Will would get what he wanted too.


	9. Chapter 9

The sight of the ocean was enough to take his breath away. The roaring sound of the tide, the scent of salt heavy in the air, and his first glimpse of sunlight in days was like something from a movie, and it gave Nico the vague sense of freedom. “Let’s definitely go to the beach first.”

Will nodded, looking more energized just by being in the sun. His smile widened, and he turned to Nico. “Yeah, how far is the rental place? If it’s right here, we can walk and we’ll get a cab on the way to the hotel then to the airport.” He said, taking Nico’s hand and squeezing. “I mean, well. You won’t walk, you can’t be on your feet too long.” 

Clearly, Will was getting a little excited, his smile excited. “It’s a beautiful day. Isn’t it nice out?” 

“Um…,” Nico looked out over the beach, shielding his eyes with his hand. “The nurse said it was just across the street—oh! Over there. Look, they even have those giant umbrellas stuck in the sand.” 

He stood up, holding tightly to Will’s hand. “It’s gorgeous out here.” And it was. The sun shone bright and pleasantly warm, a strong breeze helping to keep it from getting too hot. “Lets go,” he said, tugging Will’s hand, “before you change your mind.” 

Will held onto Nico, keeping him steady as the nurse waved one last time to him. Shoving all of Nico’s prescriptions into his bag, Will smiled at him. “I’ll let you walk, to get your feet moving, but if you get winded, I’m carrying you.” Will warned, holding tight onto him. 

“Unless you feel unsteady. If you feel wobbly, I _definitely_ don’t mind.” He assured. “I don’t want you to exhaust yourself.” 

“I’m fine,” Nico said again, his voice heavy with exasperation but a grin on his face nonetheless. He was just glad to be outside. “You remind me of my sister. Stop babying me—you’re going to make me lazy.” 

There was no hint of malice in Nico’s voice because he knew Will meant well, and honestly, the coddling was a little nice. He pressed a quick kiss to Will’s cheek as they started across the street. “Hey, do you even anything to wear in the water?” 

“Mmm, you just got done with your second surgery in a month, and you just got out of the ICU. I don’t think you could really argue that I’m babying you.” 

Will wrapped an arm around Nico’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “The surf shop should have everything we need. I’ll wear a wet suit, if they have them.” 

Nico supposed he really couldn’t argue with that. His second operation in a month, and they were heart surgeries no less. No wonder he felt so ragged. “Well, when you put it that way,” he said, resting his head on the arm that was around his shoulder. 

The walk to the surf shop wasn’t even that far, but by the time they reached it, Nico’s cheeks felt heated from exertion, a thin layer of sweat beading along his hairline. The shop really did have everything though, from swim trunks to wet suits and boards of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Nico had never seen so many in one place before. “Get whatever you need. I’m gonna go sit over there,” Nico said, pointing. 

“Under an umbrella, in one of those chairs. I’ll get you something to lie on and we’ll get you situated and comfortable first.” Will dragged an umbrella close to the water front, close enough even for Nico to dip his feet in if the tide rolled up enough. He set up a chair in the shade, lying a towel over the top and then helping Nico to lie down, then tucking him under a beach towel. 

“Alright, I’ll be quick getting ready.” Will promised, handing him a water bottle and giving him a quick kiss. “I’ll be right over there, yell if you need something.” 

After taking a long gulp of water, Nico tucked in his knees and rested his head against them. The day had just begun and already he was exhausted. He didn’t regret convincing Will to go surfing, but he did hope he could stay awake long enough to actually watch him. He closed his eyes and snuggled up with his beach towel. 

The sound of padded footsteps and crunching sand is what finally got him to lift his head. Will stood there in a wetsuit, a board tucked beneath his arm. “Look at you,” Nico said with a smile. “Ready to catch some waves?” 

Will looked completely in his element in the wetsuit. It definitely showed off his build more than anything he usually wore. Under the spandex material, his muscles were firm and defined, his shoulders appearing broader. With a grin, he moved to drop a sunhat over Nico’s head. “Shield your delicate porcelain skin.” He winked. 

Brushing a hand up through his hair, he pushed it backwards. “Very ready. How are you doing, are you comfortable?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “Warm enough? Too warm? Did you have any water?” 

Nico huffed a laugh as the hat was dropped on his head, holding up his half-empty water bottle and swishing it around. “I’m a little uncomfortable,” he admitted with a frown. 

He was afraid to say anything should Will switch into overprotective boyfriend mode, but Nico’s flu-level aches were starting to creep up on him, as well as a weighted sense of fatigue. “But I’m fine,” he reassured. “I’ve got water and snacks to tide me over until you’re finished.” He smiled weakly. “Go enjoy yourself.” 

Will frowned a bit, dropping his board in the sand and moving forward to give Nico a long kiss, feeling his face for a temperature. “Alright..” he said, looking a bit unsure. “I’m gonna be in earshot, I promise.” He said, stroking under Nico’s eye, along the circles that were still present. “You know it’ll be hard to enjoy myself if you’re in pain, right?” 

Tracing his finger along the corner of Nico’s mouth, he kissed him once more. “I probably won’t even be out for a half hour. I don’t want you waiting too long.” 

“I promise it’s not that bad. I’m really just tired,” Nico said, eyes lingering shut even after Will pulled out of the kiss. He sighed. “You definitely deserve some time away from being my doctor though.” 

He grabbed Will’s hand and kissed his fingers, slowly and individually. “I want to watch you,” Nico said, “so go have a good time already.” 

Will hesitated, but finally nodded, stealing one last kiss before pulling away and smiling a little. “Okay. Yell if you need me. Or anything- if you need anything.” He said, nodding. 

Picking up his board, he jogged off to the waves, putting his board down and getting in the water. 

Clearly, Will was a natural. Even now, he looked completely comfortable, wading out in the water before climbing onto the board and waving at Nico with a huge grin. 

Nico perked up some once Will was in the water. It was something special to watch Will paddle towards the surf, balancing himself on his board, and riding the waves like a pro. He looked like he was really having a great time, his smile truly genuine as he stood and waved from the center of the water. 

Nico was nice and cozy from his place in the sand. He had tried dipping his toes in the water, but it only made him cold, so he tucked them beneath him and wrapped himself with Will’s beach towel. He sipped his water and nibbled on a granola bar, intent to enjoy the sunshine from the shade and let Will have his fun before they finally left for home. 

Will was clearly in his element. the waves weren’t huge, but they were big enough to ride through. After finding his balance, it became easier and easier, and he was riding wave after wave. 

Every time he looked at Nico, his boyfriend looked perfectly content, nibbling on a snack or smiling up at him. Seeing Nico smile like that made his heart skip a beat. Every time they made eye contact, Will blew kisses, waved in wide motions, and once, he was staring so long, a wave knocked him right off of his board. 

Nico laughed when Will fell from his board, and again when the blond resurfaced with a goofy smile on his face. He wanted to beckon him over, to receive a wet, ocean salted kiss, but was afraid Will would think something was wrong and want to leave. And Nico wasn’t ready to call it quits yet either. 

He raised his arm and waved, settling his chin on his knees, a loving smile unchanging from his face. These were the times that he lived for. 

Will rode a few more waves before finally heading back to the shore. Soaking wet and smelling like the sea, Will was grinning hugely, his eyes bright. 

Half tempted to scoop up his boyfriend, giving him kisses and getting him soaking wet and laughing, but he knew Nico was still recovering, and he couldn’t risk getting him sick. Instead, he settled for a goofy kiss, their teeth bumping because of Will’s smile. 

Nico tried to kiss him back, but he had to turn away, a peel of laughter escaping him as he unwrapped himself from Will’s towel and handed it over. He shuddered once at its absence, but the grin never once left his face. 

“Have fun?” he asked. “You did not look like you were out of practice.” 

Will grinned at him, toweling his hair off and stretching out. “Don’t worry, our cab will be here in a few minutes.” Will promised, going to dry himself the rest of the way off. 

“Tons of fun. I wish you could get in the water with me.” He said, kissing his cheek. “We have to go once you’re on your feet again.” Under the wetsuit, he wore swim trunks, unzipping it all the way out and kicking it off, toweling off his chest before pulling a shirt on. 

“No offense,” Nico said, his smile slipping, “but I’m kind of over vacations for a long, long time.” 

He began to pack their things into Will’s duffle bag—his goofy sun hat, the extra towel, the snacks and his water. After that, he let Will pull him up slowly, and he leaned over and kissed his still damp lips. 

Will grinned, laughing a little. “Yeah, definitely.” He said, kissing him back. “Let’s get you home, okay?” 

Wrapping an arm around Nico, he walked him over to the street, supporting him while they waited for the cab. Pressing a kiss to Nico’s hair, his towel draped over his shoulders, Will felt his boyfriend tremble just a bit. “Here, wrap up with the extra towel, I know you’re cold.” He said, digging the dry towel out of his bag and wrapping it around Nico’s shoulders. 

Nico shivered even as the towel was being draped over his shoulders. Still, it felt nice to have that and Will’s arm around him to keep him comfortable and steady. “You read my mind,” he said, resting his head against Will’s shoulder as they came to a stop on the curb, wrinkling his nose as a drop of water from Will’s hair splashed him gently on the cheek. 

He closed his eyes for just a minute, the sound of a car pulling towards them startling him from his doze. He felt a weird sense of déjà vu as they slid into the backseat of the cab, Nico battling against the throes of sleep and wincing slightly as the cab pulled onto the road. “It’s been a long day—long week,” he said, correcting himself. 

“The hotel is a couple of minutes away, and you can nap for a couple of hours before we leave for the hotel. I’ll drug you up right when we get to the airport and it’ll last the entire flight.” Wrapping an arm around him, he squeezed gently. “I love you.” 

Tucking Nico under his arm and gently rubbing up and down his shoulders to warm him up, Will spoke through his hair. “I’ll keep you warm, I promise.” 

Nico hummed appreciatively, blinking tiredly. “I lose so much time just sleeping though,” he murmured. He craned his neck and pressed a kiss to Will’s jaw. 

He kissed him again, just on the outside edge of his lips. “I love you. While it may not have been our ideal vacation, I did like the time we spent together.” 

Will kissed him several times after that, peppering them all over his face, along his jaw and his cheeks and across his nose. “I love you more. It was probably the vacation from hell, but it wasn’t all bad.” Will offered sheepishly. 

“Any time I spend with you is valuable.” Will said, smiling gently. “Really. Anyways, the sleep is good, and you’re less miserable when you’re asleep. The more you sleep, the quicker you get better.” 

Nico couldn’t argue with that—he was feeling pretty miserable at the moment. He had a feeling it stemmed more from tiredness than anything else, and hoped he wasn’t spiking a fever. Whatever it was, it was tolerable with Will there beside him. 

“You’re the best boyfriend,” he said, lifting his head only when the cab pulled into the front of their hotel. It had been a short drive after all. 

Will ruffled his hair lightly, feeling for a fever. “You’re pretty warm. Finish your water bottle then it’s off to bed with you.” Will instructed, climbing out of the car. 

Will held tight to Nico, keeping a firm grip on him. “Maybe I ought to carry you, babe. You look a little wobbly. I don’t want you to fall or anything.” 

Nico shrugged. “I guess.” 

He finished his water in one gulp, noting how it sloshed uneasily in his stomach. Maybe Will had been right about being cautious after just being discharged. 

He was going home soon, he just had to keep reminding himself of that. Hopefully they would have a peaceful flight home and Nico could pretend the majority of this vacation had all been a bad dream. 

Will picked him up carefully, carrying him with ease to the elevator. He was thin, Will could feel his ribs through his shirt. “You lost a lot of weight.” He said with a frown. 

Nico knew he was thin, even more so now that he was sick. His appetite still wasn’t completely up to par, and anything he had eaten before had just come right back up. He knew it played a part in him being so tired, but if he wasn’t hungry, there was little else he could do. 

Depositing Nico gently in bed, he untied his shoes and tossed the beach towel to the side, grabbing the comforter and drawing it up under his chin. “There. Anything I can get you? Or do you just want to nap?” 

Nico curled up beneath the comforter, trapping the warmth there with him. He snaked his hand beneath the covers until he found Will’s slightly larger and callused hand. “You can lay with me,” he said, a thin smile on his face and an embarrassed flush on his cheeks, “and then I can nap.” 

Will rolled his eyes, giving Nico a slow, gentle kiss. “I think I can manage that.” He said, kicking off his own shoes and crawling into the bed. “Nap in silence or with the TV on?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Curling up under the blankets, Will laid down next to Nico, pressing his lips to his head. “Get some sleep, babe, I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go, okay?” 

“Blissful silence,” he said, lips ghosting across Will’s neck. He’d spent too many days falling asleep around the constant whirring and beeping of heart monitors and blood pressure cuffs, and restricted movement due to IVs and oxygen masks. Now, he just wanted to fall asleep with Will being his only distraction. 

“It’s already almost time, isn’t it?” Nico asked around a yawn, eyelids growing dangerously heavy. “I just wanna sleep.” 

“We’ve got about an hour.” He said, kissing his closed eyelids with a little smile. “Don’t worry about it, I’m going to take care of it. Just sleep.” Will said, lifting a hand to stroke his hair. 

Nico was clearly fighting a losing battle, and with a little doting and gentle humming under his breath, he was out like a light in no time. 


End file.
